Press Release

Welch hosted events with Vermont farmers, nutrition advocates, and working families while in Addison County ADDISON COUNTY, VT –U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) , a member of the Senate Agriculture and Senate Finance Committees , today traveled to Addison County and heard directly from Vermont farmers, producers, and families about how President Trump’s economic policies, trade war, and war with Iran have caused the costs of food production and household items to skyrocket. “Everyday costs were already too high for Vermont families and farmers, but this White House has pushed reckless economic policies that have totally eroded any progress made in lowering prices for hardworking Americans. The president’s illegal tariffs ignited a trade war with our allies and raised costs for everyday food and household items. His reckless war in Iran has caused fuel and fertilizer prices to dramatically rise, and in turn the cost of food production is more expensive. This will only continue throughout the summer if this doesn’t end immediately,” said Senator Welch . “Families, farmers, and producers can’t afford the White House’s misguided economic policies. I was thankful to hear firsthand from folks in Middlebury and Charlotte today. I’ll keep fighting in the Senate to lower costs and protect Vermont communities.” At the HOPE Food Shelf in Middlebury, Senator Welch met with nutrition advocates and discussed how President Trump’s economic policies are hurting Vermont families’ ability to put food on the table. Earlier this year, Senator Welch voted against cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), called 3SquaresVT in Vermont. He has pushed for a reversal of Republicans’ cuts to nutrition assistance funding and is working with Senate Democrats to help families and farmers through a multi-year Farm Bill. He also discussed how the war in Iran is raising the cost of gas and household items for Vermonters. At the HOPE Food Shelf, Senator Welch was joined by Jeanne Montross, HOPE-VT’s Executive Director, and food shelf staff. Later in Charlotte, the Senator visited Nitty Gritty Grain Co. to speak with farmers and producers about new and compounding food production costs. The trade war caused enormous uncertainty for many farmers and producers throughout Vermont, who were forced to pay more for equipment, fertilizer, and other costs of production. He also spoke about how the president’s illegal war in Iran has caused dramatic price increases for fertilizer and farm fuel. The Senator also discussed how consolidation is harming farmers and producers in Vermont and across the country. Nitty Gritty Grain Co. produces organic, small batch grains for restaurants and bakeries across Vermont. They are owned and operated by a 7th generation farming family. The Senator was also joined by O Bread Bakery. View photos from the events below and on the Senator’s website : New data released by Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee found families in Vermont have spent $2,500 more on goods and services due to higher inflation in President Trump’s second term. Additionally, in the first year of President Trump’s second term, families paid, on average, more than $310 overall for groceries year-over-year. The war in Iran has caused fuel prices to spike and some companies have already passed on higher costs of shipping and logistics to the consumer. Analysts recently warned that working families will soon face another round of inflation from the Iran war, with higher costs for many groceries and home products. Farmers report the cost of fertilizer is up more than 30% and the cost of farm diesel has increased 46% since the end of February. More than 70% of farmers surveyed said they couldn’t afford all of the fertilizer needed. Senator Welch has championed legislation to lower the costs of food for Vermont families and support Vermont farmers and producers. He introduced the CANADA Act , bipartisan legislation to exempt small businesses, including agricultural producers, from tariffs imposed on Canada, and was an original cosponsor of bills and resolutions to block President Trump’s unconstitutional tariffs. He has introduced legislation to expand and invest in the Farm to School program, and will soon reintroduce the Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers and Ranchers Act , which halts mergers of big agriculture firms and strengthens antitrust laws in the agricultural sector. This spring, he joined Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer in introducing the Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act , new legislation to address record-high grocery prices squeezing American families. ###