President Donald Trump announced a US$8 billion program to compensate farmers for diesel costs during the harvest season. The USDA confirmed one-time payments through a uniform formula to cover a portion of the modeled losses in the 2026 crop year.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday the launch of a new "harvest fuel relief program" that will allocate US$8 billion to farmers to offset diesel costs during the harvest season. The announcement came during a campaign speech in Kansas ahead of November's midterm elections.
"Tonight, I'm also pleased to announce that the Department of Agriculture will be launching a new harvest fuel relief program, providing our farmers with US$8 billion in support to offset diesel costs during this harvest season," Trump said.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed after the speech that it will make US$8 billion available "for one-time payments to American farmers this harvest season to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs."
According to the department, the program will provide "proportional support to producers using a uniform formula to cover a portion of the modeled losses during the 2026 crop year," and the payments will be administered by the Farm Service Agency.
The announcement is the latest in a series of financial promises the Republican leader has made to voters ahead of the November elections, in which control of Congress is at stake. The Republican Party holds a narrow majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
However, Trump's approval rating has been low over his handling of the high cost of living for Americans during the war between the United States and Israel against Iran, which has driven up fuel prices. Trump and the Republican Party have sought to maintain support in farm states with competitive Senate races as costs rise.
Trump signed an executive order earlier this month that he said would expand access to tax-exempt diesel. He has also separately proposed sending US$5,000 checks to all adult citizens if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate, though analysts, economists and even some Republicans in Congress have reacted with skepticism.
Earlier this month, Trump said the government would send a one-time payment of US$90 to more than 20 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, the health insurance program for older adults.
