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Economy

Trump Announces $8 Billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program for Farmers

President Trump said the Agriculture Department will make $8 billion in one-time payments to farmers to offset diesel costs during the 2026 harvest season, the latest in a string of election-season spending pledges ahead of the November midterms.

By admin Oct. 20, 2026 · 9:48 AM ET 2 min read

A combine harvester cutting through a golden wheat field at harvest time, dust rising behind it

President Donald Trump said on Monday that the Agriculture Department will launch an $8 billion program to help farmers offset diesel costs during the harvest season.

“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 $8 billion in support to offset diesel costs during this harvest season,” Trump said in a midterm campaign speech in Kansas, according to Reuters.

After the speech, the Agriculture Department said it would make $8 billion available “for one-time payments to American farmers this harvest season to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs.” The department said the payments would be distributed to producers through a uniform formula covering a portion of modeled losses during the 2026 crop year, and would be administered by the Farm Service Agency.

Diesel fuel pumps and farm pickup trucks at a rural gas station at dawn

A bid to hold farm-state support

Reuters described the announcement as the latest in a series of financial promises Trump has made to voters ahead of the November midterm elections, in which control of Congress is at stake. Republicans hold narrow majorities in the Senate and the House, and Trump’s approval has stayed low over his handling of the cost of living during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which has pushed fuel prices higher.

Green corn rows stretching to the horizon on a large farm, with a center-pivot irrigation system in the distance

Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order he said would expand access to tax-exempt diesel. According to Reuters, Trump and Republicans have been working to keep support in farm states with competitive Senate races as costs have risen.

The columned facade of a white federal government building in Washington, D.C., with an American flag flying

More spending pledges on the table

Trump has also proposed sending $5,000 checks to all adult citizens if Republicans keep control of Congress in the midterms, an idea that drew skepticism from analysts, economists and some congressional Republicans, Reuters reported. Earlier this month, Trump said the government would send a one-time $90 payment to more than 20 million Americans enrolled in Medicare.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters.

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