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Good afternoon,
Over the weekend, mass crowds across the country participated in "No Kings" protests against President Donald Trump. Approximately 7 million people marched at over 2,700 events in all 50 states. Demonstrators passionately declared their concerns about perceived threats to democracy, the administration's ICE raids and increased military in cities, cuts to health care and more. Frustrations among Americans are growing as the government remains shut down with Democrats and the White House in gridlock over the funding bill. Naturally, the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers responded negatively to the protests. For example, House Speaker Mike Johnson called the event a "Hate America rally." Nonetheless, protestors showed up united in their overall message to protect America and its core values. In several cities, there were signs of hope and optimism as people danced and sang. While many obstacles lay ahead, Americans are making their voices and opinions heard.
Here are a few important updates...
HOW YOUNG RURAL VOTERS REALLY FEEL
Younger generations in rural America increasingly feel overlooked by policymakers as they confront rising costs, limited access to healthcare, and financial uncertainty. Andrew Tait, a 36-year-old farmer from Virginia, expressed this sentiment in his essay "Living in the Shadow of the American Dream." He shared his experience of giving up family planning to afford healthcare coverage and voiced his frustration with leaders from both political parties: "I want somebody to inspire me. It doesn't matter if you're red or blue, whatever side of the aisle you're on, like, come on, guys, what do we want?"
This growing distrust runs deep in rural communities, where the promise of the American dream – homeownership, job security, and upward mobility – seems out of reach. With few economic opportunities available, many young rural voters are moving away from strict party affiliations, indicating a willingness to support any candidate who prioritizes lowering costs and advocating for working people. For these voters, the real divide is not between red and blue. It is between those who understand rural struggles and those who do not.
A TARIFF-YING REALITY FOR FARMERS
Time and time again, the Trump administration has promised to dip into tariff revenue (about $200 billion dollars worth) to address top priorities like paying the military and bailing out farmers. The administration has been very proud of its tariff revenue and trade policies in general. President Trump was quoted saying, "We're going to take some of that tariff money that we made, we're going to give it to our farmers, who are, for a little while, going to be hurt until the tariffs kick in to their benefit." This seems like a straightforward plan, except it's not that easy. The fact of the matter is that the White House is very limited in its power to distribute the funds without guidance from Congress. As we've seen, President Trump has not shied away from pushing the limits of the executive branch's power over spending, freezing and cutting billions of dollars of funding already approved by Congress. While Trump's plan for tariff revenue is not completely off the table, administration officials have struggled to carry out the promises.
Farmers are taking the greatest hit in President Trump's latest false promise phenomenon. Between the administration's crackdown on immigration and the tumultuous trade wars, farmers' workforces and incomes have been destroyed. America's top agricultural export market, China, has halted its purchases of our soybeans and other row crops, leaving many farmers out to dry. During the president's first term, the Department of Agriculture paid out roughly $20 billion to farmers. Due to a lack of movement or clarity on plans for the tariff revenue, farmers are growing increasingly stressed and frustrated. It's time for the administration to stop walking back on promises. They need to either make sure they can follow through or not make promises at all. Our farmers deserve better!
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Each week, this newsletter highlights what's going on in rural states, counties, and communities, and what One Country Project is up to around the country. If you value this content, please consider donating to One Country Project. Your contribution supports our efforts to connect with rural voters and to promote greater opportunities for rural communities.
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NUMBER OF THE WEEK
$15,000,000,000: This is the weekly loss in dollars based on hours that government employees aren't working, according to Oxford Economics. For every week of the shutdown, the annual growth in economic output declines by between 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points.
WHAT WE'RE READING
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