October 20, 2026
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Iowa Farmers Union President Responds to USDA Diesel Fuel Aid
NEVADA, Iowa – Iowa Farmers Union President Aaron Lehman, a fifth-generation Polk County farmer, released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $8 billion in diesel fuel aid for farmers:
“Farmers have needed help for months because the policies pursued by the Trump administration, implemented by USDA, and supported by Republican members of Congress have led to ridiculously high prices for diesel and fertilizer. Our Iowa members of Congress have failed to push back as the President has pursued trade wars and a military war that have put farmers on the front line of the consequences of those policy choices.
Farmers never should have been put in this position. A Band-Aid response now, 2 weeks before the election, doesn’t fix the problem.
We need genuine efforts to help farmers now while fixing the real causes of our current situation. We need to conclude the war without sacrificing our farmers’ bottom lines. We need to end the monopoly stranglehold on agricultural inputs. We need to become more energy independent by developing sustainable domestic alternatives.
President Trump’s Hail Mary pass to fix a problem his policies created is a good example of why the Iowa Farmers Union made the decision to endorse all 5 Democrats running to represent Iowans in the US Senate and House of Representatives. Our farmer-led organization hasn’t endorsed a federal candidate in years
Farmers know that the ‘spit and baling wire’ approach won’t fix the real problem. Neither does throwing money at a problem after the fact. Real solutions are needed instead.”
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