GEOFF BENNETT: In the last two presidential elections, farmers voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump.

But now some farmers are saying his efforts to cut the government are causing major financial pressure.

William Brangham has more.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Geoff, two of the biggest changes affecting farmers are a freeze on some USDA programs and a near-shutdown of spending by USAID, which buys about $2 billion of products from farmers every year.

About 40 percent of the government's food assistance comes from American farms.

Others say they're on the hook for contracts for renewable energy equipment that the government promised to help with.

We talked to several people in this field, a flower farmer, a beekeeper, a produce farmer, and the CEO of a nonprofit that delivers food aid to children in Haiti.

ANG ROELL, They Keep Bees: Slowly, we have figured out that we have lost about a quarter to a third of our funding and, we have no sense of whether some of those pauses are permanent or temporary or when that money can or will come in.

CHRIS GREENE, Meds and Foods For Kids: We have worked with USAID in several capacities in the past, usually through key partnerships we have on the ground in Haiti.

And so with the absence of that, it really sets things back significantly.

KEVIN LEAVITT, Farmer Kev's Organic: If it goes past the next couple of weeks, we're really going to be in a tight spot.

We're really probably going to have to either add more debt to our mortgage or we're going to have to seriously consider closing up shop and not operating.

LAURA BETH RESNICK, Founder and Owner, Butterbee Farm: We received a grant from the government about a year ago.

And that's when we signed this contract for a solar panel system on our new barn.

We still owe about $36,000 to the solar company that was supposed to come from the government.

We never would have signed a contract with the government for these solar panels if we thought we'd be paying the full amount.

ANG ROELL: We're looking about $40,000 in losses and then about $20,000 in additional income we'd be able - - we're not -- we won't be able to make, so about $60,000 in loss as we calculate it right now and then about $115,000 in potential grant funds that we now know we won't be receiving for 2025.

KEVIN LEAVITT: If this never goes through, we would look to lose about $45,000.

And the impacts for us would be pretty detrimental.

We're one of the larger winter green growers in Maine, so we grow a lot of spinach, kale and chard this time of year that helps them stock their shelves with fresh produce this time of year that can be hard to get in Maine.

So what that means for them is they're going to run out of a supplier to have those options.

CHRIS GREENE: When funding that is dependent on at this level is cut and cut so quickly, we underestimate the impact that it makes throughout the world and the potential lives that may be lost and the talent that may be lost.

ANG ROELL: The fact that this business I have been building for seven years, this career I have been building for 12 is now under attack by the people in the executive branch of the federal government who are supposed to look out for American interests and are instead looking out for the interests of the 1 percent.

LAURA BETH RESNICK: Already, farmers are shrinking their businesses.

And I'm really afraid about the future of farming if all these programs just go away.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: For some further perspective on all of this, we are joined now by Nick Levendofsky.

He's the executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union.

Nick, thank you so much for being here.

You heard all of those complaints that people are making about the way in which this federal cost-cutting is unfolding and impacting them.

How common is that to what you're hearing from your own members?

NICK LEVENDOFSKY, Executive Director, Kansas Farmers Union: It's very common, William.

And thank you for having me and thank you for covering this important topic.

I have had conversations here over the last couple weeks now with members and farmers all across Kansas and, frankly, all across the country through the connections I have with National Farmers Union.

And there is great concern all across the country, and it just adds more uncertainty to an already uncertain situation.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: For people who may have been somewhat surprised that there was this connection between American farmers and USAID, can you sort of explain that broader mechanism, how it works?

NICK LEVENDOFSKY: Yes, well, we take great pride in especially a certain part of USAID, the Food for Peace program here in Kansas.

It was born here back in 1953, signed into law by another great Kansan, Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1954.

And it was brought about because we had a glut of commodities or grain crops here in the U.S. We were producing more than we needed and could consume.

But there were also places all over the world, especially in Europe that was just recovering from World War II.

So we were sending those products over there.

And since then, that program has fed upwards of four billion people in the 70-some years that it has been in existence.

But farmers grow the crops here in Kansas and they deliver that product to those places all across the world.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I mean, in addition to those financial stresses, there's also some other looming things coming down the road.

I mean, there's inflation that they're obviously dealing with, commodities prices, et cetera.

NICK LEVENDOFSKY: Yes.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: How much cushion do farmers have to weather this financial storm?

NICK LEVENDOFSKY: There's very little cushion.

You mentioned the cuts that are happening, the freezes and all of those things.

But those high-cost inputs are what's really hurting right now, the seed, the chemicals, the fertilizers, the fuel that is needed.

Farm equipment is extremely expensive.

And bankers are not loaning out tons of money to farmers right now.

In fact, bankers are pulling back.

And then you throw in the idea of more tariffs, a trade war, and then the cuts to positions at USDA just at the end of last week, crucial positions in the Farm Service Agency offices, the NRCS offices that are all over the country, these are folks who are integral to American agriculture.

And those positions are now gone and people that were working in those offices have now had to pick up more of the slack.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: We asked the White House about some of these criticisms, and this is the statement that they gave us.

They wrote: "The Biden administration crushed American agriculture with regulatory uncertainty, crippling inflation, trade imbalances, and radical environmental policies.

Thankfully, President Trump is already delivering relief by unleashing American energy and cutting 10 regulations for every new regulation.

He will continue to make all agencies more efficient to better serve the American people, including our hardworking farmers."

I mean, the White House is arguing, in essence, that they were elected to do this and that these policies are what they and what the American public more broadly want.

How true is that for your members?

NICK LEVENDOFSKY: Well, I don't think there's a whole lot of truth to their statement.

Blaming the past administration, I think, is an odd way to go.

If you're in charge now, it's your job to take this on.

I would say, though, that there are a lot of people who are very concerned out there who voted for this administration.

But they wrote it all down in Project 2025.

I guess we should have paid a little closer attention to what was in that.

I read the agriculture section.

I know it better than I probably should.

But it was there.

It was all in writing.

We probably should have paid closer attention to it.

I will just say this.

I think it's time for this administration to recognize who put them into office and also to understand that these people are hurting.

And this only adds to the hurt that they're already dealing with.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, Nick Levendofsky of the Kansas Farmers Union, thank you so much, sir.

Appreciate your time.

NICK LEVENDOFSKY: Thank you, William.