For more than 40 years, Farm Bureau has asked every presidential candidate to provide responses to issues likely to impact and affect farmers and ranchers and rural communities in the next 4 years. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have provided their answers. The responses have been unedited and we are sharing the responses so you can read directly from the candidates on their policy positions and direction for our country.
Whether from the COVID-19 pandemic or geopolitical events across the globe, many have come to the realization that the role American agriculture plays is not just one that keeps domestic grocers stocked, but provides the food, fuel and fiber that feeds the world. American agriculture is a key element of national security and global food security. However, farmers can expect the largest recorded year-to-year dollar drop in net farm income in 2024. Income is estimated to be nearly $40 billion lower compared to 2023, down more than 25% due to lower prices paid to farmers for crops and livestock, and increased costs for supplies. As president, what investments and/or policies would you support to ensure the resiliency of our food system and the American farmers who make it work?
As Vice President, Kamala Harris has invested in rural America so future generations can keep farming and rural Americans can find opportunities right in their hometown. Under her and President Biden’s leadership, the Biden-Harris Administration has invested billions of dollars in federal resources to ignite long-term economic growth in rural communities that have long been left behind, helping rural communities create jobs, build infrastructure, and support economic stability on their own terms. And when they’re elected, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will never stop fighting to create an economy where rural Americans can not just get by, but get ahead. They are committed to building an Opportunity Economy where everyone can compete and have a real chance to succeed, and where everyone, regardless of who they are or where they start, has an opportunity to build wealth for themselves and their children.
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will also promote competition in agriculture markets to ensure farmers and ranchers are treated fairly. As part of the lowering costs agenda she laid out last month, Vice President Harris made clear that she will direct her Administration to crack down on unfair mergers and acquisitions involving big food corporations to help create a level playing field for competition in which all farmers and ranchers thrive and consumers have more choices and lower prices. Her plan will also support family farmers, ranchers, and other small businesses, and strengthen competition in the agricultural supply chain.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
I am proud to be the most pro-Farmer president ever. As president, I did more for American Agriculture than any administration in history, and protected farmers from unfair foreign competition. To bring economic relief to farmers, I commit to lowering your energy bills by half in the first year. Kamala-Biden have embraced the high-cost energy policies of “net zero” that have already raised electricity rates by 30% nationwide (and projected to go much higher) and the cost of gasoline and diesel by 50-100% over the last three and one half years, all of which is dramatically raising costs of fertilizer and other key farming supplies and lowering farm incomes. The Kamala-Biden “net zero” lunacy is the same economically destructive high-cost energy policy that is already ravaging European farm communities. We must avoid the fate of United Kingdom and Germany, two countries that are experiencing shrinking economies as a result of this misguided high-cost energy agenda. I will reverse the Kamala-Biden inflation nightmare, bring down interest rates, and reverse every single Biden-Harris burdensome and costly regulation that is contributing to the increased cost of supplies. I will also use tariffs, tax cuts, and other incentives to bring critical supply chains back home to the USA, ensure national security and economic stability, and expand overseas markets for U.S. agricultural goods.
Reliable food supplies and stable prices are critical for the United States’ long-term prosperity and economic well-being. Programs in the farm bill, extended through fiscal year 2024, provide key safety net and risk management tools for farmers, as well as critical tools to help farmers implement resource-conserving practices on the farm. Sustained, effective and predictable policy through the farm bill is necessary to address the threats that farmers have faced historically and new threats we now face to provide a consistent food supply. This includes defending and strengthening crop insurance for risk management that is affordable and flexible for all producers. As president, how would you be a proponent for enhancing farm policy programs to bring certainty to farm and ranch families through crop insurance, improved risk management programs and support for beginning farmers and ranchers, while also bringing much-needed funding to agricultural research?
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will fight to defend programs that allow farmers and ranchers to prosper, while Trump and his allies are trying to defund those programs. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know how important crop insurance is to protect farmers from unforeseen changes in circumstances. As a Congressman, Governor Walz expanded veterans’ access to crop insurance, farm education, and job training, and led legislation to improve veterans’ access to mental health care. Trump, on the other hand, consistently proposed deep cuts to programs like these that are essential to farmers and ranchers—including coverage for changes in crop yields and price, as well as rural job training and workforce development—all to pay for his tax handouts to the wealthiest Americans. If he’s elected, his Project 2025 agenda will give more handouts to the super-wealthy, while making crop insurance and other necessities for family farmers even more expensive.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
The American Farmer is essential to our economy and our way of life. We rely on our farmers, ranchers, and growers to ensure the safety and security of our food supply. As president, I signed a massive Farm Bill that improved agriculture programs and increased the amount of money that farmers can borrow. We will permanently end our reliance on China for all critical goods and strengthen domestic Buy American and Hire American policies.
As President I will support access and affordability to the risk management tools that were a part of the 2018 Farm Bill I signed into law. Improvements must be made to Reference Prices, Crop Insurance, Dairy Margin Coverage and more Specialty Crop Insurance. American agriculture is built on science, technology and innovation and we must stay ahead of China with our science investments.
Some states have adopted agriculture production standards that are already showing an adverse impact on price for consumers and availability of product. Left unaddressed, rules like California’s Proposition 12 will create a patchwork quilt of barriers or requirements that will make it increasingly difficult for American farmers to be able to sell their products across state lines. It creates a question about whether one state can set rules that citizens and businesses in another state must follow, clearly not the intent of the Constitution of the United States. Disparate state-by-state agriculture requirements create more complexity in the market, will lead to increased farm consolidation, and has already caused sharp prices increases at the grocery store for families in California. As president, what policies would you support to shore up the free flow of food and farm products between the states, to the benefit of all consumers and farm families?
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know that excessive red tape can sometimes prevent small businesses, including small farms and ranches from selling their goods. They also know that it can be difficult for small farmers and ranchers to identify and comply with unnecessarily burdensome regulatory requirements. If they are elected, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will fight to reduce barriers and make it easier for farmers, ranchers, and other small business owners across the country to earn a living and support a family off their hard work. The Biden-Harris Administration has pushed to improve and modernize the process of regulatory review, enhance public participation, and improve regulatory analysis. As president, Kamala Harris will work to ensure regulations are responsive to the needs of everyday Americans.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
As you correctly note in the question, Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution plainly states that Congress – not individual states – has the power to regulate commerce “among the several States.” For many years, this provision has been understood to block efforts by individual states to regulate interstate trade in ways that are discriminatory or burdensome. I will use all authority under the Constitution and U.S. law to stop efforts by California – or other states – that hurt American farmers in other states. I will also direct the Department of Justice and the Department of Agriculture to actively monitor – and strongly oppose – any further efforts to limit the ability of American farmers to sell their products anywhere in this great country.
The United States has worked assertively over many different administrations to set the example for fair and open trade, for resolving trade disputes using sound, science-based principles and standards and for gaining access to new markets. As president, how would you be a proponent for expanding trade and pursuing remedies against nations and their leaders who use various barriers to unfairly shield their markets from competition?
As Vice President, Kamala Harris has stood up to China’s unfair economic practices to protect Americans, including farmers and ranchers. As President, she will not tolerate unfair trade practices from China or any competitor that undermines American farmers and ranchers.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
As president, I took historic action to pry open foreign markets and knocked down unjust barriers to American goods. I successfully negotiated and renegotiated more than 50 trade agreements to boost farm exports by billions of dollars, supporting millions of American jobs and our incredible Farmers. I ended the disaster known as NAFTA and replaced it with the USMCA. These gaping wounds were costing our country countless jobs and trillions of dollars in wealth. I would also note that under Biden-Harris policies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is projecting a record agricultural trade deficit of $32 billion for federal fiscal year 2024 (Oct. 2023 to September 2024). Given that our farmers are the best and most competitive in the world, this deficit plainly results from unfair trading practices abroad. I will fight those barriers with every tool at my disposal, and I will make sure that other countries understand the consequences of blocking our farm products. As part of my effort to knock down barriers to American Farm products, I will work to pass the Trump Reciprocal Trade Act and will prioritize American producers over foreign outsourcers.
When China targeted our farmers, I sent $28 billion relief payments to protect our farmers from Chinese abuses. I will always side with Farmers in America.
Agriculture operates in a world of uncertainty. From unpredictable national situations to commodity and product market instabilities to fluctuating input prices, from natural disasters and damaging weather events to insect or disease outbreaks, running a farm or ranch business is challenging under the best of circumstances. The vast majority of farm and ranch operations are businesses that file their taxes as individuals and most make well under $400,000 annually. Many of the provisions of the soon expiring Tax Cuts and Jobs Act allow farm and ranch families to invest into their family business, so the next generation has a chance if they choose to take over the farm. Letting these provisions expire would raise taxes on the vast majority of farm and ranch families. Farmers and ranchers need a tax code that provides certainty and recognizes their unique financial challenges. As president, what provisions would you support to help farmers and ranchers remain on the land and producing food, fuel and fiber?
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have made clear that, under their plan, no American making less than $400,000 a year will pay more in taxes, and that includes most farmers and ranchers. They will also fight to make sure the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share in taxes. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s $1.3 trillion giveaway to big corporations allowed them to consolidate power, move more jobs and production overseas, and undercut local small business growth, including in rural communities. Under Trump’s agenda, farms and ranches were told the only path to success was to get big or get out. As President, Kamala Harris will fight for a tax code that is more fair for everyone—including America’s hardworking farmers and ranchers—and doesn’t just benefit the most wealthy among us.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
I will take immediate steps to defeat inflation, increase real farm incomes, and grow the agricultural economy by unleashing American energy, slashing wasteful government spending, and cutting burdensome regulation. To protect the pro-farmer tax cuts I delivered in 2017, including the elimination of the estate tax, or death tax, as well as the giant tax cut I gave to family farms that operate as pass-through entities, which produce more than 90 percent of agricultural products in the United States, I will also make permanent the provisions of the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and pursue additional tax cuts.
Farmers and ranchers need a reliable, skilled workforce. Farm work is challenging, often seasonal and transitory, and with fewer and fewer Americans growing up on the farm, it’s increasingly difficult to find American workers attracted to these kinds of jobs. Farm labor can’t all be replaced by machines, either. But the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) is set at an unsustainable level, making it difficult for farmers to temporary workers when they are paid at a higher rate than a full-time employee. As president, what would you do to reform and resolve the critical labor shortage that many farmers and ranchers face each year? How would you address the issue of undocumented workers who are already working on farms across America, as well as the need for a reformed H-2A program that would help provide a long-term agricultural workforce?
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know growers need enough workers to support our nation’s domestic food production, which is why they have supported an earned pathway to legalization and eventual citizenship for farm and other agricultural workers, in addition to strengthening the H-2A visa program—administered by both Republicans and Democrats for decades—which helps fill seasonal farm jobs with temporary foreign workers. The Biden-Harris Administration has overseen a nearly 50%increase in the H-2A program and strengthened it by making the application process more transparent, making visas more accessible to employers, and supporting employers who comply with the rules so they are not undercut by those who don’t. The Biden-Harris Administration also is investing $50 million to help improve the resiliency of the U.S. food supply chain by addressing agriculture labor challenges and protecting farm workers. Instead of reckless calls for the mass deportation of workers and families deeply rooted in our economy and communities, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz believe in tough, smart solutions to reform our broken immigration system. This means improving our legal immigration system to function better for our economy, farmers, and workers, and reform that includes both strong border security and an earned path to citizenship.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
To be successful, it is not enough to invest in our economy and agriculture – we must invest in our people. Under a Trump Administration, we will grow more farm products in the USA and rebuild our country with American Hands. A Trump Administration will always put Farmers and American Workers first. I will prioritize merit-based immigration, ensuring those admitted to our country contribute to our economy and strengthen our country.
Using innovative farm equipment, better seeds, green energy and climate-smart practices, U.S. farmers and ranchers are producing more food, renewable fuel and fiber than ever before, while using less water, protecting against erosion and conserving more soil, avoiding nutrient loss, increasing wildlife habitat and improving biodiversity. New data from the Environmental Protection Agency found that while greenhouse gas emissions from all sources increased by 1.3 percent between 2021 and 2022, agricultural emissions dropped 1.8 percent -- the largest decrease of any economic sector. Less than 10% of total U.S. GHG emissions stem from agriculture. In fact, efficiency gains are so significant that U.S. agriculture would have needed nearly 100 million more acres in 1990 to match modern production levels. At the same time, farmers’ commitment to conservation is clear. Conservation efforts play an active role on roughly one-third of U.S. farmland. As president, how would you ensure that climate regulations do not hamper American productivity and competitiveness?
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know that voluntary, collaborative partnerships with farmers are key to addressing the climate crisis. That’s why Vice President Harris fought tirelessly for the Inflation Reduction Act, which included a $20 billion investment to help the agricultural community adopt and expand conservation strategies through climate-smart agriculture—all while saving money, ensuring the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes, and increasing productivity.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
The American farmers are the Climate Champions of the world. With the voluntary, locally-led and incentive-based conservation tools I signed into law in 2018, they sequester far more greenhouse gases than what they emit while increasing their productivity. No one does it better. My support of our farmers provides food security, a stronger economy and a cleaner climate.
I pledge to terminate the Green New Deal, dismantle root and branch the lunatic Biden-Harris “net zero” policy of high cost energy that is a millstone around the future of the American economy, and restore American Energy Independence and American Energy Dominance so the United States will once again have the lowest cost of energy and electricity of any economy in the world, which will be a boon to American Agricultural and to economic growth in general. Innovation and economic growth will allow us to unleash the technologies and processes that make the environment better while reshoring production away from foreign polluters, and back to American soil. I renew my commitment to ensuring America has among the very cleanest air and cleanest water on the planet. My administration set the new global standard for environmental protections with unprecedented provisions in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Every day of my presidency, we will fight for a cleaner environment and a better quality of life for every one of our citizens.
Agriculture is a growing provider of renewable energy—contributing to America’s energy independence and revitalizing rural economies. Our national energy policy should be an all-of-the-above strategy and and include taking maximum advantage of all available domestic resources to achieve energy independence and a stable energy market, including support for tax provisions that incentivize the production of biofuels and domestically-produced energy. As president, would you support an all-of-the-above strategy that encourages the domestic production and use of all available forms of energy?
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are committed to a future defined by both American energy security and independence, as well as a clean energy economy that creates good-paying jobs, fueled by the investments we are making here at home. Vice President Harris cast the deciding vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided nearly $10 billion for rural renewable energy infrastructure—and made the largest investment in rural electrification in nearly 90 years. This historic legislation also included more than $2 billion in investments for the Rural Energy for America program, which provides loans and grants to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to build renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. The Inflation Reduction Act is also increasing domestic biofuels, boosting high-quality job opportunities across rural America and enlisting agriculture as a pivotal tool to fight climate change.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
Yes, a Trump Administration will increase domestic energy production across the board, streamline permitting, and end market-distorting restrictions on Oil, Natural Gas, and Coal. I will lower energy prices even below the record lows achieved during my first term. No president has ever fought harder for our farmers than I did. I issued a rule declaring that E15 would be made available all year round. In addition, I dramatically increased the number of fueling stations where E15 could be sold across the country, by letting them use the existing pumps. I will cancel every Kamala-Biden policy that is brutalizing our farmers. We won’t just increase Ethanol production in our own country, we will make it our mission to export ethanol all over the world.
All Americans have an interest in a regulatory process that is transparent and fact-based, respects the will of Congress, and observes the separation of powers in the Constitution. Federal regulations have a direct impact on farmers and ranchers, and over the years, the breadth and extent of that regulatory landscape have changed. As president, what actions would you take to ensure that the federal government’s regulatory burden on businesses such as farming and ranching is consistent with congressional intent? Will you support regulatory reform to ensure that federal regulations meet a cost-benefit test and make the process of writing new regulations more transparent, and if so, how?
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know that excessive red tape can sometimes prevent small businesses, including small farms and ranches from selling their goods. They also know that it can be difficult for small farmers and ranchers to identify and comply with unnecessarily burdensome regulatory requirements. If they are elected, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will fight to reduce barriers and make it easier for farmers, ranchers, and other small business owners across the country to earn a living and support a family off their hard work. The Biden-Harris Administration has pushed to improve and modernize the process of regulatory review, enhance public participation, and improve regulatory analysis. As president, Kamala Harris will work to ensure regulations are responsive to the needs of everyday Americans.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
I will slash regulations that stifle American agriculture and make everything more expensive. I will implement transparency and common sense in rulemaking. During my Presidency, our Department of Agriculture cut 7 old regulations for every 1 new regulation, saving farmers and taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars a year. In total, American households saved an average of $11,000 thanks to our regulatory reduction efforts, while the Biden-Harris administration has already imposed additional regulatory costs of $10,000 per household, and those costs are estimated to increase an additional $5,000 per year. In my next term, the Trump Dividend will be even larger. By repealing the Biden-Harris regulatory onslaught, we can save you an estimated $20,000 dollars—$5,000 per year.
Privately owned land provides habitat for the majority of our nation’s endangered and threatened species. As a result, landowners often face harsh regulatory restrictions on their ability to use the land or, worse, lawsuits or enforcement actions. Meanwhile, few species have actually been recovered under the law. It’s time to think about incentive-based programs that create a positive role for landowners in species recovery. As president, how would you fix the broken Endangered Species Act, and what role would you assign America’s landowners?
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are committed to preserving biodiversity across our nation. She believes that conservation hinges on cooperative initiatives that consider all Americans—including American farmers and ranch owners.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
More threatened and endangered species have been delisted and are thriving as a result of the voluntary, locally led and incentives based conservation programs that were a part of the 2018 Farm Bill I signed into law than the harsh regulatory efforts pushed under Harris Biden.
While in office, I signed legislation that authorized land exchanges with state and local governments to promote economic development while facilitating endangered species recovery efforts. A Trump Administration will empower farmers and ranchers to be free of excessive regulations and be the most production on their land. I will be transparent and bring clarity to farmers, ranchers, water users, and landowners in how the law is administrated.
Since the inception of the Clean Water Act (CWA), there has been considerable confusion about where the line of federal jurisdiction lies, and we have seen the regulatory pendulum swing back and forth with each Administration. In May 2023, the Supreme Court handed down a clear decision in Sackett v. EPA, which greatly limited the scope of what the federal government can assert jurisdiction over. While the Sackett decision was a significant advancement in providing a bright line of jurisdiction, the agencies continue to support a regulatory regime that lacks clarity and certainty for landowners. Landowners and the regulated community need clarity from the agencies on how they are interpreting and implementing the rule, especially because the penalties for landowners can be fines up to $64,000/per day or receive jail time for any CWA violations. Lack of certainty and clarity will only open them up to unknowingly violating the law. As president, will you work to reign in the agencies’ regulatory reach, provide clarity for landowners and faithfully enforce the decision that was handed down in Sackett v. EPA?
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz believe that every person in America has a right to clean water. To ensure that no American has to suffer the dangerous effects of contaminated water, the Biden-Harris Administration is working to replace all lead service lines in America—protecting families from lead poisoning, improving wastewater and sanitation infrastructure and tightening standards for toxic air pollutants. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will fight for the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
I will immediately stop all Biden/Harris policies that limit the ability of landowners to make a living and save farmers from ridiculous regulations that drive-up costs. This includes EPA rules and regulations that strangle American agriculture. While in office, I repealed President Obama’s ridiculous Waters of the United States rule, an outrageous federal power grab over your private land. I ended the federal intrusion into our Family Farms and our Ranches. No longer should federal bureaucrats tell you how to run your business. The EPA shall never micromanage your land. I will refocus agencies back to their core missions.
Protecting farmers’ access to modern farming technology, veterinary medications and crop protection tools is important for farmers and ranchers. Our future food security will depend on science, technology and innovation to increase efficiency, adapt to droughts and fight plant diseases. Agricultural biotechnology and other new crop development techniques will prove vital. As president, how would you ensure that new traits are reviewed expeditiously, that USDA’s GMO disclosure rules are focused on science, and that solutions from science and technology are harnessed to meet the challenge of feeding a growing world?
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know that biotechnology and biomanufacturing are poised to expand at a rapid pace over the coming decades, adding thousands of good-paying jobs across many sectors of the economy. Vice President Harris has fought to expand biotech education and job training programs. In addition, the Biden-Harris Administration is reinvesting in agricultural research at land-grant universities, including 1890 land-grant institutions, bringing the benefits of innovation and progress to farmers and communities across the country.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
In office, I strongly supported access to agriculture biotechnology. The USMCA allowed American farmers and ranchers expanded accesses to cutting-edge biotechnology and eliminated non-scientific barriers. I also signed an executive order that brought innovative new technologies to market in American farming and agriculture. I took action to expedite the review of biotechnology so that farmers can get access to critical scientific advances faster and reap the full benefits of American innovation for years to come.
Rural communities play an important role in our nation’s economy. At the time of the 2020 Census, over 66 million people, about 19.8% of the population, lived in rural areas of the United States, home to a majority of U.S. manufacturing, farming and ranching. Greater access to high speed internet and healthcare in rural areas, enhanced infrastructure investment, reducing opioid addiction, addressing mental health challenges and helping rural economies via rural entrepreneurship and Main Street-friendly tax policies are important components to revitalize rural America. As president, how would you ensure that rural Americans have economic opportunity, greater access to broadband and healthcare, and well-maintained infrastructure to move food, fiber and fuel to consumers and ports, which are all necessary for a sustainable future?
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz believe a healthy, vibrant rural America is essential to our nation’s success.
Vice President Harris has addressed rural health care, mental health, the opioid epidemic, and more. Vice President Harris will make affordable health care a right, not a privilege by expanding and strengthening the Affordable Care Act and making permanent the Biden-Harris tax credit enhancements that are lowering health care premiums by an average of about $800 a year for millions of Americans. She’ll build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s successes in bringing down the cost of lifesaving prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries by extending the $35 cap on insulin and $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket spending for seniors to all Americans. Her tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act gave Medicare the power to go toe to toe with Big Pharma and negotiate lower drug prices. As President, she’ll accelerate the negotiations to cover more drugs and lower prices for Americans. As Vice President, she also announced that medical debt will be removed from credit reports, and helped cancel $7 billion of medical debt for 3 million Americans. As President, she’ll work with states to cancel medical debt for even more Americans.
Vice President Harris has also worked to expand access to health care in rural America, dedicating $100 million to grow the workforce of registered nurses and nurse practitioners, especially for rural communities, and expanded support for rural hospitals with $500 million in Emergency Rural Health Care Grants. She has taken action to address our nation’s mental health crisis by ensuring mental health coverage will be covered at the same level as other health care for Americans, securing record funding to hire and train over 14,000 mental health professionals for our schools, and expanding access to mental health services with $10 million in dedicated funding for rural areas. She has also helped provide a $50 million initiative to support opioid treatment and recovery services in rural communities.
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are committed to creating economic opportunity in rural America. Through the once-in-a-generation actions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Vice President Harris and President Biden channeled historic investments to deliver affordable high-speed internet, safe roads and bridges, modern wastewater systems, clean drinking water, reliable and affordable electricity, and good-paying jobs in rural communities. Vice President Harris has helped bring high-speed internet access to more than 622,000 people in rural areas with a $90 billion investment to fight for reliable, affordable high speed internet for everyone in America.
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz plan to expand the Rural Partners Network nationwide, ensuring that communities across America’s heartland have federal resources available to them that are often too difficult to access. They also have set a goal to see 25 million new small business applications in their first term, including by cutting red tape that makes it harder for businesses to launch and grow, expanding the startup expense deduction from $5,000 to $50,000, creating innovation hubs, and expanding venture capital and other innovative financing to all of America, including rural America. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will lower the costs of housing, including by building three million more affordable homes and rental units to end the national housing supply crisis in her first term and provide first-time homebuyers with up to $25,000 to help with their down payments.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
I am proud to be the candidate who has consistently had overwhelming support from rural America. I believe, with all my heart, that our rural communities are absolutely critical to this country – and I have proven that by my actions. While many in Washington deride rural America as “flyover country,” I know that every one of those communities is home to American families, and they deserve a government who cares about them and their unique needs. As President, I will once again commit to investing billions of dollars to expand rural broadband and improve rural infrastructure. I will take decisive action to slash regulatory approval times for critical infrastructure. I will take bold action to deploy high-speed 5G networks, improve rural healthcare, and bring prosperity to distressed rural communities across America. And perhaps most importantly, I will ensure that the United States has the lowest cost of energy, electricity, and gasoline on earth. The Biden-Harris administration is committed to the high-cost-of energy policy of “net-zero”, including banning the sale of gasoline powered cars and pickup trucks, that would be the death knell of the rural way of life. I will repeal net zero policies, including the very expensive Electric Vehicle mandate, which will force many Americans in rural settings to buy expensive electric cars and trucks that they don’t want.
The Harris-Biden Electric Vehicle mandate if successful would crush the rural economy eliminating hundreds of thousands of rural jobs in the agriculture, energy and powdered metals industries. If rural America fails all America fails.
The United States has established “multiple use” for federal lands to guarantee our longstanding tradition of joining together in our care, enjoyment, use and conservation of the open spaces we all cherish. Farmers and ranchers are partners in federal land management, and livestock grazing on federal lands is integral to the success of ranching. As president, what policies would you support to ensure the continued success of multiple use for federal lands?
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz believe that the federal government should work with
Americans—including farmers and ranchers—to manage the care, enjoyment, use and conservation of
America’s public lands and waters. Under her leadership, the Department of the Interior and the USDA
Forest Service are providing relief to ranchers by being flexible to the needs of farmers and ranchers and
the conditions that they face on the ground, including by making pasture land available for grazing and
issuing refunds to ranchers that were displaced by early season fires and therefore not able to make use of
their allotments. When they’re elected, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will continue to partner
with farmers and ranchers to promote the balanced management of America’s public lands.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to American Farm Bureau’s questionnaire in the form of a letter. The response above is an unedited excerpt of the letter. Click here to read the full Harris-Walz letter.
As president, I ended the last administration’s federal land grab. The federal government does not have unlimited power to lock-up millions of acres of land and water. I believe states, communities and private land owners know best how to manage their own resources. I ended the egregious abuse of federal power and put the American People back in charge of their land, their government, and their lives.
America’s National Forests were primarily created to provide vital resources included timber, energy, clean water and revenue to our rural communities where they are located. This is a promise our Nation made over a century ago and one my administration will keep.