In rural America, farmers are no strangers to uncertainty. They drive droughts, floods, market price fluctuations and soaring investment costs. But this year, the storm did not come from the sky - it came from Washington.

In just a few months, we saw Doge breaking contracts with farm communities and cutting funds from plans to make rural America run. President Trump has only deepened the chaos with his bad luck blanket tariffs (in one-time, inappropriate tariff chaos), which has left farmers unable to plan, plants or prices in certain ways. And instead of standing up for those who feed and cheer for them, Congressional Republicans have doubled by proposing basic agricultural billing programs and nutritional aid by proposing billions of dollars in cuts.

Tariffs are already trying to squeeze farmers. The cost of fertilizers, equipment and fuel is rising. Export markets are evaporating as other countries retaliate. At home, consumers are tightening their belts, spending at grocery stores decreases as their disposable income shrinks under the weight of rising prices. Farmers are hit in every way - higher costs, lower income and disappearing customers. It is no surprise that farm bankruptcy has increased by 55%.

Sen Rand Paul: Terminate Trump's tariffs before it's too late

We've seen this story before because we've seen Trump's agenda before. During the last President of Trump, farm bankruptcy soared. The dirty little secret is that we didn't win Trump's last trade war - Brazil did it. China has discovered a new permanent source of exports to South America. Even after the end of the trade war, our market share has never recovered. Brazil is now the world's largest exporter of soybean, beef and chicken - more are expected to ship to China this year. Trump’s last trade war was not only rattled, but also a level farm.

Even after the headlines continued, rural communities were screened for wreckage, rebuilt from losses many would never be able to fully recover. This time it will be no different. When foreign demand drys up with trade retaliation, or when U.S.-made tractors cost more, the economics of family agriculture collapse due to new import duties. When farms are in trouble, towns and communities that depend on them are also damaged.

But the tariff pain in the farm door won't stop. It goes all the way through the food supply chain to the dining plate.

The new tariffs will cost the average U.S. households nearly $4,000 a year. Families who are now struggling to make a living are now facing rising food prices and fewer choices. Meanwhile, Washington is retreating from programs that help close the gap.

Last month, the Trump administration withdrew $1 billion in federal funding for nutrition programs, including local school cooperatives, which directed agricultural commodities to school cafeterias. This means that children have fewer fresh produce and less purchases from regional farms.

Meanwhile, Congress proposed deep cuts that could help 40 million Americans put food on the table and support farm income in the process.

Snap is not only a lifeline for hungry families. This is the engine of economic activity. Every dollar spent through SNAP generates about $1.50 in economic output, which disrupts the supply chain from grocery stores and freight companies to rural farms and food producers. Snap snapshots mean pulling money out of grocery stores, local economies and those who need it the most.

These decisions did not hurt the people on the Ring Road. They hurt families on their cherry farms in Michigan, corn state in corn in Ohio and soy farms in Iowa.

They happen under the wrong banner of financial responsibility - in fact, they transfer the burden from the burden of rich and connectedness to those who can absorb it.

It’s easy to get political points in a difficult conversation on trade. It's much harder to look at the third generation of soybean farmers and explain why they're going bankrupt, or tell rural schools why their cafeteria trays are empty. Trade policy should be based on strategy, not symbolic. People who deserve consequences come to inform this - not politicians chasing headlines.

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Farmers never ask for special treatment. They demand stable rules, open markets and a level playing field. They want to plan for the next season and the next generation without getting caught in a political stance.

President Trump needs to understand: tariffs, planned cuts and food policies are not abstract budget lines. They are the power to shape real life – from farm doors to meal plates.

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The question we should ask now is not just what Washington is cutting, but who pays the price.

Because from where I stood, this is our farmers - we all rely on them.