Senator Welch Slams Trump’s Tariffs and Iran War for Crushing Vermont Farmers

Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) took no prisoners in a recent Vermont Public Radio interview, laying bare how President Trump’s reckless economic and military policies are hammering Vermont’s farmers and working families. As a member of both the Senate Agriculture and Finance Committees, Welch has a front-row seat to the fallout from Trump’s trade wars and foreign adventures—and he’s not mincing words.

Welch pinpointed two major culprits driving up costs for Vermonters: Trump’s tariffs and the administration’s “war of choice” in Iran. “It really is important to end this war, because it’s directly adding to the cost that everybody is paying,” Welch said. The senator highlighted the devastating impact on farmers, who are already struggling with soaring gas and fertilizer prices—many of which come from Canada and are now subject to punitive tariffs.

The senator didn’t stop at economics. When asked about possible war crimes in Iran, Welch bluntly condemned the targeting of civilian infrastructure like water and desalination plants, calling it “very, very sketchy” and a textbook definition of war crimes. “This is a war of choice that we should not be in,” he said. “It is not making us more secure, and it is doing an immense amount of economic harm to everyday Americans.”

Welch also criticized the Trump administration’s contradictory stance, claiming to support rural America while imposing policies that inflict “self-made harms” on farmers nationwide. Dairy farmers in Vermont and crop producers across the Midwest are feeling the squeeze, with no clear end in sight to the rising costs.

To combat this, Welch urged Congress to pass a full Farm Bill to provide relief and stabilize prices. So far, only a partial bill has passed the House, leaving much work ahead to help farmers survive this perfect storm of tariffs, war, and economic chaos.

This interview is a sharp reminder that Trump’s economic and foreign policies are not abstract political issues—they are real threats to the livelihoods of American families and the health of rural communities. Welch’s call to end the tariffs and the war is a call to end the pain inflicted by an administration that claims to champion the very people it is undermining.