Peace Garden News

Senator John Hoeven, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, met at the White House with President Donald Trump and senior administration officials to discuss issues affecting agriculture. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer joined the discussions, which focused on trade, increasing input costs, and challenges facing rural communities.

“We had a good opportunity to meet at the White House with President Trump, Secretary Bessent and Ambassador Greer, and later in the day with Secretary Rollins on the need to support our farmers and ranchers through this tough stretch,” said Hoeven. “We had productive discussions about trade, rising input cost and other challenges facing rural communities. We appreciate President Trump and his administration’s commitment to support our producers, including their announcement today that USDA will resume critical FSA services for our farmers and ranchers.”

Hoeven also met with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to address livestock concerns. He discussed with Secretary Rollins how higher input costs over the past four years have affected beef prices and underscored the importance of supporting cattle ranchers.

During these meetings, Hoeven spoke with Secretary Bessent and Ambassador Greer about trade prospects. He expressed optimism about potential increases in agricultural sales following upcoming talks with Chinese officials in South Korea later this month.

Later in the day, Secretary Rollins announced that USDA would resume Farm Service Agency operations. This includes processing farm loans as well as Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payments starting Thursday.

Hoeven plans further meetings with administration officials as Congress continues efforts to assist agricultural producers across the country.