Amid Trump’s Attacks on Vital Agriculture Support Programs, Duckworth Discusses Agricultural Priorities with Illinois Farm Bureau

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—founding co-chair of the Senate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Caucus—met with Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) members to discuss shared priorities to grow Illinois’s agriculture industry and support our farmers. Duckworth and the members discussed the importance of supporting our family farmers by expanding the biofuels market, increasing agricultural exports and improving farm safety net programs as Donald Trump continues to attack critical federal agricultural programs. Photos from today’s meeting can be found on theSenator’s website.
“Donald Trump promised no new wars and lower costs, yet the cost of everything from gas to food to key agricultural inputs continues to skyrocket while he’s focused on building a ballroom for his billionaire buddies,”Duckworth said.“America has always depended on our nation’s farmers to grow the food and fuel we need, and I’m proud to advocate for them on both the national and international stage regardless of who is in the White House. I will continue to do everything I can to support the Illinois Farm Bureau and farmers across the state at the federal level.”
In the Senate, Duckworth has been a leader in supporting biofuels. As a founding co-chair of the Senate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Caucus, she has been a strong advocate for expansion of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by utilizing the biofuels and agricultural sectors. To help increase the availability of E15 biofuels, Duckworth helped introduce the bipartisanNationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025and the bipartisanNext Generations Fuel Actto allow the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10 percent. Duckworth additionally helped introduce the bipartisanHome Front Energy Independence Actto ban Russian oil and expand use and production of biofuel that’s grown in the American heartland, while providing American families with a less expensive option to fuel their vehicles. In 2024, she helped introduced theFarm to Fly Actto help accelerate the production and development of SAF. Earlier this year, DuckworthslammedRepublicans after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson secretly stripped a bipartisan compromise on E15 gasoline from must-pass government funding legislation that would have supported American farmers and lowered costs.
As a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Duckworth has been an advocate for Illinois pork, biofuels and agriculture industries across the globe and helped secure significant wins for Illinois and American agriculture. After Duckworth’svisitin 2023, Japanannounceda regulatory change that will lead to an increase in imports from U.S. biofuel producers, supporting our farmers and growing Illinois’s economy, and following a prior trip to Taiwan in 2022, she helped secure acommitment from Taiwanto purchase an estimated $2.6 billion of our Illinois’s corn and soybeans.
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