Shaheen Hosts Roundtable with New Hampshire Farmers, Highlights Harmful Impact of Trump Administration’s Federal Funding Chaos

(Londonderry, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies, hosted a roundtable discussion with New Hampshire farmers and agricultural producers on the impacts and uncertainty farms are experiencing as a result of President Trump’s decision to halt tens of billions of dollars of federal funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The discussion follows the recent announcement that Shaheen is now the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Agriculture. You can view photos from the event here.  

“I heard from many farmers today that are waiting on federal government reimbursement from contracts they’ve signed and completed or that have contracts stuck in limbo because they don’t know whether the federal funding they’ve been awarded will actually come through,” said Senator Shaheen. “Some of these farms are already struggling due to several years of extreme weather, and if they can’t access the funding they’ve been promised, farms will continue to suffer and the local food supply could be impacted. Congress approved this funding and now the Trump Administration must make good on these overdue payments.” 

The discussion follows a series of roundtables and discussions with Granite Staters hosted by Shaheen to better understand and highlight the direct consequences of the Trump administration’s funding chaos and uncertainty. Following the Trump administration’s decision to freeze grants and loans disbursed by the federal government in January, Shaheen immediately condemned the move and spoke on the Senate floor against the decision to freeze federal grants and loans that families, seniors and small businesses rely on for critical, often life-saving services. 

Shaheen has long fought to support farmers in New Hampshire, including by successfully helping to secure disaster supplemental funding for farmers impacted by crop losses in 2023. Shaheen also has a strong record of working to improve crop insurance policies to support farmers in New Hampshire and leads legislation to reform the federal government’s crop insurance program. Senator Shaheen has supported more than 230 New Hampshire small businesses who have received over $25 million to lower energy bills and cut costs through USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program. She has consistently fought for increased funding and improved support for rural development programs, including rural water programs. 

###