The president’s remarks offer a remarkable example of quid-pro-quo campaigning that appears to condition his support for a top priority of Kansas farmers in exchange for voters reelecting an embattled Republican. Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor, could unseat Marshall and become the first Democrat Kansas has sent to the U.S. Senate since 1932.
In March, the Trump administration issued a waiver to lift federal restrictions on the sale of gasoline composed of up to 15% ethanol for the year, usually in place to prevent smog. The White House formally asked Congress in June to broker a deal on year-round ethanol fuel sales as it tried to bring down gas prices, which spiked due to the Iran war. E15 is a gasoline blend derived from corn-based ethanol.
When asked whether the president’s remarks amounted to a change in position by attaching a new condition, a White House spokesperson referred Moneywise to Trump’s Truth Social post from Monday evening. In it, the president touted setting high biofuel production targets that he claimed will generate $4 billion in new income for Kansas farmers.
“I also gave Kansas a waiver to sell E-15 All-Year-Round and, with Roger Marshall in the Senate, we will make Year-Round E-15 PERMANENT!” the president posted.
Ethanol’s state of play
Trump also brought up his pledge to issue $5,000 “dividends” to every American adult if Republicans keep control of Congress. Only this time, he was blunt about what happens if Democrats gain control of one or both chambers.
“If you elect a Republican House and Senate on November 3, you’ll get $5,000,” he said. “And if we lose, you get nothing.”
Enabling year-round ethanol sales has been significantly divisive in Congress, particularly among Republicans. Lawmakers from corn-producing states tout it as a cheaper alternative to regular gasoline and an economic boon to farmers. However, other policymakers from oil-rich states argue it threatens refining jobs while also putting the federal government firmly on the side of the ethanol industry.
Congress may still pass the ethanol measure in a year-end funding package or the farm bill, the latter of which has crept along with limited progress. The House passed legislation to codify the year-round sale of ethanol in May, but it has languished in the Senate.
More financial relief is on the way for farmers
Trump also announced on Monday during the rally in Kansas an $8 billion relief program that will give one-time payments to farmers affected by high diesel prices. The program will be overseen by 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.
The federal program will rely on a formula based on which crops were planted and the total acreage used in the process to cover “a portion” of farmers’ losses. Total payment rates will be announced in November.
Joseph Zeballos-Roig is a policy and politics journalist based in Washington D.C with a focus on economics. He is experienced in connecting the significance of events in the capital to the lives of everyday Americans whether its taxes, tariffs, interest rates or federal programs.
