Any day now, a federal court decision could strip 454 farmers in Kentucky and Illinois of their land rights, potentially allowing the government to seize over 70,000 acres of America’s farmland without compensation. This decision would affect thousands of people, endangering the livelihoods of families who’ve worked these lands for generations, and supporting local communities and economies.
Only President Trump can intervene to prevent this.
If 70,000 acres is hard to visualize, picture the total size of Salt Lake City, Utah, Knoxville, Tennessee, or Tampa, Florida. Now picture that one day in 2013, a new dam was activated and it immediately flooded a series of highly productive farms totaling the size of one of those great American cities.
American farmers deserve the same kind of love and attention we lavish on foreign countries—yet for every absurd expenditure showered upon friends and foes abroad, the folks who literally put food on our table get screwed.
There’s a brand of corruption in Washington that’s so common, it’s practically cliché. The big shots from both parties mouth off about helping “hardworking Americans,” yet when push comes to shove, they couldn’t care less about their own people.
Need proof? Ask the 454 farmers in Illinois and Kentucky who watched their land flood out of existence due to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Olmsted Locks and Dam project on the Ohio River. It wasn’t an act of God. It wasn’t a fluke. It was the government’s own handiwork.
We have written about this before at The Gateway Pundit.
When the Government Flooded America’s Breadbasket and Walked Away
And it started happening in 2013, right under Barack Obama’s nose, when he was President of the United States.
When these farmers needed someone in Washington to clean up the mess, the people with the power—those who could fix it with a single phone call or a stroke of a pen—refused to lift a damn finger.
Why? Because Washington wasn’t looking at them.
Washington was too busy funneling millions of dollars to USAID for DEI operas in the Philippines, LGBTQ+ comic books in Peru, and gender studies in Pakistan.
The President Who Could Have Fixed It… But Didn’t.
Let’s start with Barack Obama, a man who once served as U.S. Senator for Illinois—smack in the middle of the disaster zone. He sat in the White House as these farms were swallowed by floods unleashed by a nearly completed Army Corps project in 2013. If Obama had wanted to, he could have authorized emergency funds, strong-armed the Corps into repairing the damage, or publicly demanded relief for these families. But he didn’t.
This is the same president who found the time and the will to champion the Pigford settlement, directing massive payouts to Black farmers who had been discriminated against by the USDA. That settlement money came from the Judgment Fund—an evergreen pot of federal cash specifically set aside to pay legal claims against the government. No need for an act of Congress or new legislation. Just a decision from the White House.
Similarly, under President Clinton, the government used billions from this same source to help settle the Cobell case with Native American tribes. Washington has proven, more than once, that it can right a wrong if it wants to.
But apparently, these 454 farmers weren’t worthy of the same treatment.
The man who micromanaged solar panel programs in Kenya and pushed billions in foreign aid initiatives somehow couldn’t be bothered to take the same decisive action for drowning American farmers.
Where Are Illinois’ Two Senators?
What about Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Tammy Duckworth—both Democrats representing Illinois, the state where so many of these farms lie? They should have been on the floor of the Senate demanding action, speaking up for their constituents. Instead, they poured their energy into propping up billions in foreign aid, vowing to “fight tooth and nail” to protect USAID’s budget.
Durbin called Trump’s attempts to reduce USAID a “reckless move” that would weaken America’s standing. Duckworth echoed him, ensuring not a penny would be lost for global initiatives.
How many words did they devote to the Illinois farmers losing everything?
Not a single word.
Mitch McConnell: The All-Powerful Senator Who Couldn’t Be Bothered
Then we have Mitch McConnell—the Republican Senate titan from Kentucky, a man who has hoarded power in Washington for decades. If there was anyone who could steer funding or craft a fix for the Bluegrass State’s farmers, it was Mitch. He had the clout, the connections, the legislative cunning.
What did he use it for? More foreign aid. McConnell co-signed letters urging USAID to prioritize funding for Burma, among other places. He made sure taxpayer dollars kept flowing across the globe—just not into his own backyard, where farmers’ land got swallowed by floodwaters thanks to the Corps’ screw-up.
Decades of wheeling and dealing in the Senate, and he still wouldn’t lift a finger for these families. Because, apparently, that wasn’t on his priority list.
Rand Paul: At Least Not a Hypocrite
Rand Paul, Kentucky’s other senator, is more libertarian-minded—opposing bloated spending and foreign aid for years. He was never going to champion a federal payout, but at least he’s consistent. He’s not preaching about the virtues of sending money overseas while ignoring the farmers next door.
Durbin, Duckworth, McConnell—they sing that globalist tune, fork over wads of cash for the rest of the world, and couldn’t care less when farmers at home lose everything.
What This Tells You About Washington
Here’s the bottom line: If Obama, McConnell, Durbin, and Duckworth had wanted to fix this, they would have done it.
• Obama could have used the Judgment Fund, just like he did for Pigford. But he sat on his hands.
• McConnell could have brokered one of his infamous backroom deals. But he couldn’t be bothered.
• Durbin and Duckworth could have embarrassed the White House into action. But no, they were busy defending billions in foreign aid.
And now, to add insult to injury, the federal government is scurrying behind legal loopholes.
A lawsuit is making its way through the courts where these farmers seek compensation for government-induced flooding. Yet, the government’s lawyers claim the statute of limitations expired, ignoring that the damage from the Olmsted Locks and Dam started in 2013 and continues to plague these families.
It seems like an unnecessarily cruel punch to the gut to these poor farmers to have their own federal government attempt to ruin them on comically procedural grounds.
They’re hiding behind tolling technicalities—arguing that any window for filing suit has already come and gone. They want these families to just disappear, the land to remain flooded, and Uncle Sam to walk away scot-free.
All of this while that Judgment Fund—which paid for Pigford, Cobell, and countless other settlements—sits there, ready and waiting to make things right.
This isn’t mere negligence; it’s a deliberate middle finger to the farmers who trusted their government not to destroy their livelihoods. Instead, the leadership in Washington—on both sides—has chosen to look the other way, as they funnel our tax dollars overseas.
They could fix it if they wanted to. They just don’t give a damn.
That’s the real takeaway: When it comes to protecting everyday Americans—or playing globe-trotter with boatloads of taxpayer cash—Washington’s powerful always seem to make the same choice. And it’s never in favor of the people they supposedly represent.
President Donald J. Trump has the ability to protect and restore these farmer’s land and livelihoods.
Here’s to hoping he does!