On Friday, DNC Chair Ken Martin held roundtable discussions with farmers and labor leaders in Missouri to hear their concerns about the Trump administration\u2019s policies that have threatened their livelihoods and talk about what Democrats can do to support farmers, organized labor, and working Americans across the country. This stop in Missouri is a part of Chair Martin\u2019s first official tour as DNC chair, during which he is traveling to blue, purple, and red states to underline his commitment for Democrats to run a permanent campaign that organizes everywhere, competes everywhere, and wins everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Donald Trump and Elon Musk\u2019s barrage of attacks on farming and labor communities around the country \u2014 from the funding freezes<\/a>, erratic trade wars<\/a>, and federal government cuts<\/a> \u2014 are costing farmers their livelihood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Between federal funding freezes, reckless trade wars, and funding cuts, Trump\u2019s policies are leaving farmers behind. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nebraska Examiner<\/a>: \u201cOnly 9% of bankers responding to Creighton University\u2019s monthly \u2018rural mainstreet\u2019 survey across 10 states expect positive outcomes from Trump tariff actions,<\/strong> according to February results released Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Omaha university\u2019s survey gauges the economic health of rural America, as seen through the eyes of bank chief executives in rural areas dependent on agriculture and energy. The survey focuses on about 200 rural communities with an average population of 1,300.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n NBC News<\/a>: \u201cFarmers around the country have been impacted by President Trump\u2019s executive order freezing some federal funding while policies are reviewed. Grants tied to the Inflation Reduction Act are not being paid out, leaving some farmers struggling to pay their bills.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tennessee Lookout<\/a>: \u201cBillions of dollars at stake for farmers hit by Trump funding freeze, pause on foreign aid\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFarmers across the United States are finding themselves in precarious economic positions, as they attempt to navigate a strained farm economy and a barrage of executive orders from the Trump administration that put some farm programs in limbo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Washington Post<\/a>: \u201cRepublicans caught between Trump and farmers pleading for frozen funds\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe ongoing uncertainty has disrupted the delicate balance of [Iowa farmer Shanon] Jamison\u2019s finances for her family farm. Her USDA contract is a five-year commitment, and the cover crops she introduced with government funding have steadily increased her crop yields. All of it is in jeopardy as she charts out the next growing season.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith the responses she has received so far, Jamison said she could only plan for the worst.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018I\u2019m assuming I\u2019m not going to get a dime,\u2019 <\/strong>she said.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n DNC Chair Martin met with farmers and labor leaders in Missouri today to hear from community members impacted by Trump\u2019s reckless policies \u2014 and to reaffirm Democrats\u2019 commitment to fight for them. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n St. Louis Post-Dispatch<\/strong><\/a>: \u201cNew Democratic Party leader stops in St. Louis on national tour\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMartin now is on a \u2018get out of DC\u2019 tour, stopping in red, purple and blue states in the Midwest and South. \u2018We have to get the DNC out of DC, for our party at this moment, we have to compete everywhere,\u2019<\/strong> Martin said, at Friday stop in St. Louis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMartin promised to increase funding for red states in his run for party chair. BallotReady, a nonprofit group that gathers election data at all levels, found that 80% of races in Missouri were uncontested in 2024. In his run for party chair, Martin promised to prioritize competing in more races.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n St. Louis Public Radio<\/strong><\/a>: \u201cWhy did Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin come to Missouri?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chair Martin<\/a>: \u201cWe believe that when you organize everywhere, you can win anywhere and we want to make sure that we’re here. We’re here today, talking with farmers. We’re talking with voters throughout this tour to make sure that we’re listening and really lifting up their voices. Right now, there’s a lot of concern of what we’re seeing in Washington, D.C., and you can hear that everywhere I’ve been on this tour.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know that the Missouri Democratic Party has a whole plan on investing in rural counties and making sure that we’re leaving no county behind. That’s a big part of the reason why I ran for DNC chair, in acknowledgement, we have 3,244 counties in this country right now, and a lot of them don’t have Democratic Party leadership, and so we have to just get back to basics of building organization in all parts of our country, not leaving any zip code or area behind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n