Trump vs. Harris on Ag

Sep 13, 2024

Polling the pastures: Immigration, women’s rights, and inflation were topics during the presidential debate this week. Even talk about pet-based protein. But what do Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump’s campaigns indicate about agricultural policies?

Farm bill red/blue ink: While red and blue can come together to make purple on the need for a farm bill, there’s some coloring outside the lines on its content, including policies around trade, taxes, labor, and regulation.

Outside of Tuesday’s debate, Trump and Harris representatives laid out the differences in opinion on agriculture at the Farm Foundation Forum on Sept. 9. Here are some key takeaways:

Trade

  • Trump and tariffs, a love story. He’s proposed a 10% tariff on all imports and a 60% tariff on imports from China. Exports grew under Trump but declined under Biden.
  • Harris wants to protect manufacturing and labor and maintain the current tariffs on China. The administration’s USDA has challenged Mexico’s ban on GM corn.

Taxes

  • Trump’s 2017 tax cuts will start to phase out in 2025. Word is the Trump tax cuts would benefit the top 1% of Americans and add $4.6T to the national debt.
  • Harris has proposed a change in the “death tax”—which would lower the estate tax exemption. Farmers could be caught in this because of higher land values. But others say it would only impact 1% of farmers and not the “average farmer.”

Labor

  • Trump pushes for more aggressive deportations of immigrants, which could impact migrant farmworkers.
  • Harris’ rep says they’ve repeatedly attempted ag labor bills but have been blocked by congressional Republicans.

Green initiatives

  • Trump doesn’t support the Biden administration’s climate-smart funding.
  • Harris’ team says the government should play a role in helping fund conservation practices.

Nutrition programs: (this section makes up 80% of the farm bill’s cost)

  • Trump: Food benefits and assistance should go to people who need them, but he thinks there’s room for negotiations because of SNAP fraud.
  • Harris: Mechanisms exist to combat SNAP fraud and benefits shouldn’t be weakened.

American Farm Bureau Federation put out its Presidential Candidate Questionnaire, which has answers from both Trump and Harris if you’re really into comparing and contrasting.

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