By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-10-20 03:11:44 | Updated at 2026-10-20 04:07:51
56 minutes ago
President Donald Trump announced a new Department of Agriculture program offering $8 billion to farmers during harvest season, as rising diesel costs strain operations nationwide.
“And when the Republicans win, we will pass even more funding for our farmers,” Trump told a standing-room-only crowd of thousands during a rally in the Heartland Credit Union Arena in Park City, just north of Wichita, Kansas.
The Harvest Fuel Relief program will use a formula to determine losses and offset increased diesel costs, with calculations similar to those used in the established Farmer Bridge Assistance program, according to a statement from the Department of Agriculture.
“This $8 billion dollar investment will help bring certainty to our farmers during this harvest so they can continue to feed our nation,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement released shortly after the president’s announcement.
Diesel prices averaged $6.18 per gallon nationwide as of Oct. 12, up about $2.51 per gallon from the same time last year, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
During an approximately 90-minute address, Trump highlighted recent policies his administration enacted to benefit farmers and rural Americans, including raising production targets for ethanol-based biofuels to the highest levels recorded, a move the president estimated would boost farm incomes in Kansas by $4 billion, collectively, per year.
He noted a recently signed waiver allowing the year-round sale of E15 gasoline could become permanent, but only if Republicans win in the upcoming midterm elections.
“If you want to see what is at stake in this election, just look at what’s happening in France, a once-great nation that is being conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists who hate Christianity, and they hate, frankly, the Western civilization itself,” Trump said.
“Americans are going to stand up and declare that we will defend our culture, we will protect our civilization, we will preserve our religion, our values, and our heritage, and we will never let our nation be conquered or destroyed by people that hate us.”
Incumbent first-term Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, facing Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton in a race recent polls suggest is a toss-up, told the crowd his reelection would support “secure borders, a strong military, and lower taxes.”
A loss would potentially allow Democrats to gain a majority and overtake consequential Senate committee positions, he said.
“If Kansas loses this Senate race, Chuck Schumer will control the Senate. Elizabeth Warren would control the Bank Committee, and Bernie Sanders would control the Health Care Committee, and Cory Booker, a vegan, would control the [Agriculture] Committee,” Marshall said.
“We need a senator on the ag committee that can sort heifers and steers, not someone who doesn’t know the difference between a bull and a steer.”
Hamilton co-founded the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, and supported the inclusion of same-sex marriages and other changes to church protocols that led to division among some congregations.
His campaign is focused on reducing the cost of living and changing rules for elected officials, including establishing term-limits and blocking Congress members and their families from trading stocks.
“Washington has become overrun by chaos and corruption, with far too many politicians on both sides of the aisle putting themselves and special interests first instead of listening to their constituents’ needs. It’s time for a change,” Hamilton said in a statement, citing “rampant conflicts of interest and self-dealing,” among other issues he aims to correct.
“Kansans deserve leaders who truly believe in government ethics and real accountability.”
Republican nominee for governor Ty Masterson is running against Democrat state Sen. Cindy Holscher to replace term-limited Democrat Laura Kelly.
“This isn’t about any individual running for an elected office, myself included,” Masterson said during the rally. “It’s about the future of this state and this country. It’s about the next generation.”
The candidate reiterated a common theme of recent rallies, that those in attendance are the catalyst for a Republican victory if they mobilize their networks.
“You must get out and vote, and you must bring 10 of your friends because the stakes are that high, they really are,” Masterson said.
Rocker Ted Nugent boosted the energy in the arena with a surprise appearance, telling the audience his “life pivots upon God, family, country, Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the 10 Commandments, the Golden Rule, work ethic, law and order, self-defense, [and] private property rights.”
He commended the veterans in attendance and those around the world who served and those on duty defending the country.
“Politics is we the people thanking those flag-draped coffins for their sacrifice by voting for the beliefs they died for,” Nugent said.
“You’ve always seen me rock and roll on stage, but I’ve always stood up for the truth, logic, and common sense, the God-given individual freedoms that they died for that is guaranteed in that sacred United States Constitution.”
The president’s visit to Kansas marked his first in the state since a Topeka rally in 2018. He is in the midst of a midterm blitz to support Republican candidates, having rallied in Kentucky, Georgia, Montana, Ohio, and New York in recent days, with stops in North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, and another Georgia rally on the schedule, with more expected through Nov. 3.
