President Trump Speaks To Farm Bureau Convention

What’s the story?

Monday afternoon President Trump is scheduled to speak at the annual American Farm Bureau Convention in Nashville, TN. It will be the first time an American president has addressed the group in 25 years, reports the New York Times.

The president is expected to cover efforts to boost rural prosperity, as well as the expiring farm bill, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the roll out of recommendations from a task force charged with working on agriculture and rural issues, according to the Tennessean.

Excerpts of the speech released by the White House feature President Trump touting the benefits of the recent tax bill for farmers, yet, according to the Times, "new analyses of the tax law by economists at the Department of Agriculture suggest it could actually lower farm output in the years to come and effectively raise taxes on the lowest-earning farm households, while delivering large gains for the richest farmers."

President Trump is also likely to run into some pushback if he discusses a rollback of NAFTA, which could have significant effects on U.S. farmers. Farmers, Republican lawmakers, and even Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue have advocated for the president not to leave the trade agreement.

The Farm Bureau endorsed the tax bill, but has advocated for the U.S. to remain a part of NAFTA.

What do you think?

Do you think the tax bill is a boon for farmers or not? What would you like to see in the upcoming farm bill? What kind of efforts would you like to see being initiated in rural America? Do you believe the U.S. should leave NAFTA?

Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!

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— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Wikimedia / Creative Commons)