Vice Ranking Member Brown Co-Leads Agriculture Democrats in Demand for Answers on Rising Farm and Food Costs Due to Trump’s Iran War

House Agriculture Committee Vice Ranking Member Shontel Brown (OH-11) and Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02) have co-led a letter urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to take immediate steps to protect American farmers by stabilizing fertilizer prices amid severe global supply disruptions stemming from President Trump’s war with Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. 

“Trump’s reckless war with Iran has raised the cost of fuel and fertilizer for farmers and growers already being squeezed on all sides. But that pain doesn’t stop at the farm gate, it will soon show up in the checkout line through higher grocery prices for families here in our district. President Trump created this economic crisis and we need to know how the Trump Administration plans to end it. Instead of denying reality, the Trump Administration needs to start listening to the American people,” said Vice Ranking Member Shontel Brown.  

The letter details how blocked shipments of urea and ammonia, port backlogs, and shutdowns at regional production facilities are creating higher costs for U.S. farmers as planting season begins. 

The lawmakers write: “It has become increasingly clear that the Administration decided to initiate hostilities without considering the obviously foreseeable consequences this would have upon American agriculture” and warn that “farmers will be forced to either pay higher prices for fertilizer that they need or go with less and risk low production yields; either way their tight margins – already in the red for many farmers – will only worsen.” 

The letter writers note that as the Iranian regime has retaliated and spread the conflict to many Gulf States, facilities essential to fertilizer production have come under direct attack, foreshadowing longer-term consequences for American farmers even if the war were to end soon: 

“Even if the Strait reopens, it will take weeks to bring the plants back online and get them running efficiently. Plants that are damaged will need to be repaired. Ports will have to catch up on loading ships, leading to a backlog and prolonged supply chain slowdown. It could be months before supply chains normalize,” the lawmakers write. 

In addition to urging Agriculture Secretary Rollins to communicate a public action plan for how the Trump administration will reduce fertilizer prices and stabilize markets for American farmers, the lawmakers request an examination of how existing tariffs can be reduced or suspended to counteract higher fuel and fertilizer costs caused by Trump's war with Iran. 

Read the letter here.

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