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Senate Republicans from farm states and soybean growers are sounding the alarm over President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which they say are deepening economic pain in rural America.

The U.S. agricultural trade deficit ballooned to a record $28.6 billion in the first half 2025, driven in large part by collapsing soybean exports to China and higher input costs on farms. Producers say tariffs are raising prices on critical supplies like steel for machinery, while foreign buyers shift to competitors in Brazil and elsewhere.

Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley blasted the tariffs as “a stupid policy,” warning they are fueling farm stress not seen since the 1980s. Farmers facing shrinking

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