| Mid-Michiganders are calling Tom Barrett out for his price-hiking agenda: from his support for war in Iran that is raising prices at the pump and jacking up fertilizer costs, to his support for reckless tariffs increasing the cost of living and destabilizing Michigan’s economy.
Barrett promised Mid-Michigan families he’d lower their costs. Instead, he sold them out to his D.C. bosses to rubber-stamp a war overseas, tax cuts for billionaires, and reckless tariffs making everything more expensive.
WILX: “[Michiganders] gathered in front of an Okemos gas station to protest the rising price of fuel and other important materials. The group blames Congress and their lack of action for the price hike. They’re calling on representative Tom Barrett and his colleagues to vote for an end to the war.”
WILX: “One Mid-Michigan farmer says he can’t afford the pinch.”
3rd generation Shiawassee County farmer: “Nitrogen fertilizer costs are up 40%, 40%. So when we were [farmers] already looking at a situation where we were hoping to scrape by, it’s looking like another year to be in the red.”
WATCH ON WLAJ:
WLAJ: “Local democrats and activists rallied outside to call out what they say is Barrett’s ‘price hike agenda’ and support for war in Iran, that’s raising costs on Michigan families.”
WLAJ: “Organizers say that despite promising to lower costs, Barrett has made everything more expensive for Michigan families.”
- A group of mid-Michigan residents gathered Monday to call for an immediate end to the Middle East conflict as the inaccessible Strait of Hormuz continues to impact gas prices.
- State and local leaders, farmers and union workers gathered in front of an Okemos gas station to protest the rising price of fuel and other materials.
- The group blames Congress and their lack of action for the price hike. They are calling on Rep. Tom Barrett and his colleagues to vote for an end to the war.
- With the Strait of Hormuz completely blocked, the shipping of fuel and materials that make fertilizer is at a standstill.
- Farmer says costs are unsustainable
- Mark Zacharda, a mid-Michigan farmer, said he can’t afford the pinch.
- “Since this war of choice with Iran was started, nitrogen fertilizer costs are up 40 percent. 40 percent,” Zacharda said. “So, when we were already looking at a situation where we were just hoping to scrape by, it’s looking like another year to be in the red.”
- Mark Zacharda, a third-generation dairy farmer from Ovid in Shiawassee County, spoke to reporters about the challenges his farm has faced this year.
- “We’re really close to spring planting, and it’s been a year of uncertainty and chaos first started by a lot of the tariffs that we faced, and now we have this war of choice that’s really been impacting farmers,” he said.
- “Many people know that farmers have been in a lot of trouble for a long time now, and there’s been nothing that’s made any better by Tom Barrett and congressional Republicans. We’ve been reeling in the wakes of these tariffs, and now we’ve just got more challenges.”
- Zacharda…said the latest issue farmers have to deal with as a result of the Trump administration and congressional inaction is the skyrocketing price of fertilizers used in farming.A bout one-third of fertilizers, according to the United Nations World Food Program, must pass through the Strait of Hormuz to reach their final destination.
- To Zacharda and other 7th District residents who spoke ahead of Barrett’s appearance at MSU, the unwillingness of congressional Republicans to assert the war powers granted to the legislative branch and act as a check on President Donald Trump’s pursuit of the war with Iran feels like step beyond a sign of abandonment from their elected representative.
- “The cost of fertilizer has been skyrocketing since this war started, adding to the already increased input costs that we’ve been facing. And as we’ve been hit by increased input costs, our commodity prices have been flat or even lower. It’s really put farmers in a bind,” Zacharda said.
- “Since this war of choice with Iran started, nitrogen fertilizer costs are up 40%. We were already looking at a situation where we were hoping to scrape by, it’s looking like another year we’re going to be in the red. Tom Barrett’s messing with farmers’ livelihoods, and he’s caused more instability in this industry. He needs to find a new job by next January.”
- As Barrett continues to make appearances around the purple 7th District in the run-up to general election season, it seems unlikely that questions of affordability and assertions of his association with costs incurred by the Trump administration will go away.
- Rep. Julie Brixie, D-Okemos, said that for the past several weeks, Barrett’s constituents have been watching the war overseas and in Washington, D.C. unfold on television and social media “as Barrett fails to stand up to Trump.”
- “Republicans in Congress have the authority and the opportunity to stop Trump from dragging us into further conflict,” she said. “But instead of voting to stop the war, they abruptly ended their session and went home.”
- …some of Barrett’s constituents raised concerns on Monday about how the president and congressional Republican’s efforts are affecting their pocket books.
- At a press conference organized by Michigan’s 7th Congressional Democrats, one such farmer warned that increased costs driven by tariffs and the war in Iran could ripple across the U.S. food industry.
- Mark Zacharda, a farmer from Shiawassee County, said 2026 has been an uncertain and chaotic year for farmers, particularly as they approach the spring planting season.
- “The cost of fertilizer has been skyrocketing since this war started, adding to the already increased input costs that we’ve been facing,” Zacharda said. “And as we’ve been hit by increased input costs, our commodity prices have been flat or even lower.”
- “Putting farmers under stress and putting farms out of business is not going to help grocery prices at all,” Zacharda said. “And eventually, I think you’re going to see this hit prices even worse at the grocery stores.”
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