Senator Baldwin Shares Concerns from Farmers Ahead of President Trump’s Chippewa Valley Visit

Senator Tammy Baldwin is sharing some of the concerns she’s heard from Wisconsin farmers ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the Chippewa Valley.

Many of those concerns revolve around affordability, including the impact of tariffs on the cost of supplies like fertilizers or increasing fuel prices as a result of the war in Iran. In an interview on Thursday, Senator Baldwin highlighted how fuel costs in particular are hurting farmers at a crucial point in the planting season.

“But during planting season in the spring for farmers, you’re talking about a combine with a diesel tank that takes 300 gallons,” she said. “And when we have seen a record price for diesel fuel of $5.80 per gallon, this is a crushing impact.”

Asked what policies she expects President Trump to highlight during the visit, Senator Baldwin pointed towards a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.

“Well you know, interestingly, the one he should highlight is that the Supreme Court of the United States struck down his tariffs as an unconstitutional overreach of Presidential power,” she said. “That court decision created some relief for our farmers. I doubt he is going to reference that policy change as helping farmers out, but it is ironic that it was the Supreme Court that got rid of the onerous tariffs that were making life so hard for our farmers with regard to their input costs and challenges with export markets.”

Friday will be President Trump’s first visit to Wisconsin since the 2024 election. It’s also the latest in a string of high-profile Republican visits to the Chippewa Valley. Earlier this week, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Congressman Derrick Van Orden met with farmers in Elk Mound to discuss agriculture policies.

Senator Baldwin says the visits come as no surprise to her as Republican lawmakers seek to rally support from local farmers despite the economic struggles they face.

“Well certainly no surprise that President Trump is coming to Western Wisconsin and that other cabinet secretaries have been lavishing attention on rural Wisconsin,” she said. “Because their policies have harmed farmers so much. They’re in high communications mode trying to sweep it under the rug or tell you that the pain that you’re feeling at the pump isn’t real. People know the difference.”