Guardians of Pedophilia: Killing Farmers...

Thune quietly urges Trump to open up farm loans during shutdown

The Senate majority leader has been raising the issue “relentlessly” as farmers struggle to make ends meet amid USDA’s frozen services and tariff uncertainty.

Meredith Lee Hill

The top Senate Republican is privately warning the White House that American farmers — a key GOP constituency — will continue to suffer if the Trump administration doesn’t reopen the flow of certain farm loans amid the government shutdown.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is quietly pressing the administration officials to let farmers continue to access Marketing Assistance Loans, which allow them to meet cash flow needs during harvest season and as they make planting decisions for next year, according to four people with direct knowledge of the conversations, including two Trump officials. That would also require USDA to reopen thousands of shuttered county Farm Service Agency offices across the country in order to facilitate those loans.

So far, administration officials say they have no plans to shift other money around for the agriculture loans like they’ve done with troop pay and other priorities.

“We’re working that issue, and I hope to get an answer soon,” Thune said in a brief interview Thursday.

The biggest problem: The loan program is funded by an internal USDA account that is running low and officials are already tapping to pay for a multibillion dollar farm bailout package for farmers reeling from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The government shutdown is also holding up the rollout of that aid, adding more strain to farmers and farm-state lawmakers.

And, if the one loan program is reestablished, there are a slew of other farm assistance programs that other lawmakers will start to ask to be reopened. The FSA offices are funded through the regular appropriations and would also require money to reopen.

Still, Thune — who represents a farm state — has been raising the issue “relentlessly” as the shutdown drags on, according to one administration official granted anonymity to share private details.

Other Hill Republicans are growing increasingly uneasy about the shuttered FSA offices and held up loans, disaster aid and other ag services farmers often rely on for survival.

Speaker Mike Johnson mentioned the problem of “frozen loans” for farmers Thursday.

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said he agrees that reopening the government is the best way to get some help to farmers — along with the stalled farm aid package. But he noted farm services should be part of the Trump administration’s calculus as they look to protect key priorities.

“I think that the circumstances are so damning for farmers across the country that it would be very hard to leave them behind in any kind of partial opening of the government,” Moran said.