Trump Announces $8 Billion USDA "Harvest Fuel Relief Program" to Offset Farmers' Harvest-Season Diesel Costs
PARK CITY, Kansas — President Donald J. Trump announced at a midterm campaign rally in Park City, Kansas, on the evening of October 19 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will launch a new "Harvest Fuel Relief Program," providing $8 billion in support to help farmers offset diesel costs during this year's harvest season. He published the same announcement in a Truth Social post.
In the post, Trump said Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas was the leader who fought for the program; he said Republicans would pass even more funding for farmers if they win the November midterm elections, and that fuel prices would "come tumbling down" once the Iran war ends, which he said would happen "very quickly." The post also recalled the executive order he signed two weeks earlier waiving the off-road requirement for red-dye diesel, allowing farmers, truckers and others to fill up with diesel tax free; he criticized Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly for refusing to deliver that relief in her state and campaigned for Republican gubernatorial candidate Ty Masterson.
GSM previously reported that Trump signed the order easing dyed-diesel restrictions on October 5, and that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) then suspended federal penalties for highway use of dyed diesel, retroactive to October 1 and running through the end of the year. The announcement comes at the peak of the fall harvest, when farm machinery and grain hauling drive diesel demand. According to AAA, diesel averaged $6.30 a gallon nationwide on October 16, more than 70% higher than a year earlier; the USDA's September forecast projects net farm income to fall 2.6% this year while production expenses rise 4.5%, with fuel and oil expenses expected to rise nearly 30%. The Trump administration also announced a $12 billion farmer aid package last December. As of publication, the USDA had not released application or disbursement details for the new program. (GSM, via President Trump's Truth Social post, Reuters reporting and public data)
Related:
Trump Signs Order Easing Diesel Restrictions to Cut Fuel Costs
On October 20, Missouri U.S. Rep. Mark Alford posted about the program on social media, saying USDA will deliver $8 billion in relief to American farmers through the Harvest Fuel Relief Program in one-time payments to help offset rising fuel and input costs this harvest season — "real relief for Missouri farmers and American agriculture." The same day, he also released his office's casework results: through 722 VA and TRICARE cases, his team has helped return $1,391,680.45 to Missouri veterans and their families, including Army veteran Glenn McCain, who, living on a fixed income, recovered $1,200 from the VA with the office's help.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国玉米秋收，联合收割机将收获的玉米装入运粮车。图片来源：维基共享资源，公共领域。Photo: A combine harvester unloads harvested maize into a grain cart during the U.S. corn harvest. Via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
- 2026-10-19Trump Announces $8 Billion USDA "Harvest Fuel Relief Program" to Offset Farmers' Harvest-Season Diesel CostsThis story
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