WASHINGTON — Addressing stakeholders in the nation’s agriculture industry Friday, President Donald Trump announced plans to pursue several new actions he said would bolster America’s farmers, including opening up new loan guarantees, easing gasoline requirements and pushing for a new farm bill. 

Trump also used the speech, delivered to industry figures gathered on the White House South Lawn, to give a resounding endorsement of his own administration’s moves to support the nation’s farmers thus far, even as some have said they have struggled this year in the face of trade uncertainty and the president’s sweeping tariff agenda.

The president opened his remarks noting the $12 billion in economic assistance he announced for the industry late last year and promised to request additional relief for farmers in Congress’ next funding bill, a pledge that comes as lawmakers are still struggling to get all spending legislation for this fiscal year over the finish line. 

He noted the $12 billion in already-announced relief “made up” for farmers being “hurt by certain countries unfairly.” He said at the time of the announcement that the exact figure of aid, which came from revenue the country was bringing in from Trump’s tariffs, was decided upon after specifically looking at the “extent” to which farmers have been “hurt.” Since then, the Supreme Court struck down his use of the authority he cited to impose many of such levies, leaving major questions about the revenue they already brought in. 

Trump also declared his support for a new farm bill, the major agriculture policy bill typically enacted every five years, saying he was “pushing very hard” for its quick passage. A full, fresh version of the massive piece of legislation hasn’t been passed since 2018, but aspects and funding have been extended past 2023 and some programs typically addressed in the bill — such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — were touched upon in Trump and Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last summer. 

Led by Republicans, the House Agriculture Committee advanced a new farm bill earlier this month, but its path ahead is uncertain. The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota, sharply criticized the legislation at the time as “a shell of a farm bill.”

“Folks, it is not status quo in farm country," Craig said. "A global trade war has left devastating impacts to our nation’s farmers. And the farm assistance offered by this administration is a fraction of the need.”

Meanwhile, Trump used his speech to declare his support for permitting a higher ethanol gas blend, known as E15 and usually restricted in warmer summer months due to smog concerns, to be used year-round. Some Democrats, including Craig, have also called for such a move, and Trump declared that he was “trusting” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R–S.D., to “find a deal that works for farmers, consumers and refiners” and send him a bill to sign on it. 

It comes after the Trump administration announced this week it is temporarily allowing widespread sales of E15 amid oil price concerns due to the conflict in Iran. 

The president also announced that the U.S. Small ​Business Administration would open up “massive new loan guarantees” for farmers and food suppliers while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was removing a Diesel Exhaust Fluid sensor requirement that the agency said would save farmers $4.4 billion a year.

In addition, Trump called for major agriculture supply brands to lower equipment costs for farmers. 

Amid concerns expressed by some in the industry, Trump touted his moves to work out trade deals with other countries, repeal water restrictions and enact tax cuts through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including changes to the estate tax, which he declared helps farmers keep farms in the family. 

Trump’s speech, given from a White House balcony overlooking the South Lawn, included several asides on topics include his ballroom project and transgender athletes in women’s sports. He frequently criticized Democrats, including his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, throughout the remarks. At one point, he branded environmentalists “terrorists,” which drew a rebuke from California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.