Sen. Adam Schiff, one of President Donald Trump’s toughest political opponents, is gearing up for another battle in Washington, D.C. — this time in support of California farmers.

In an interview with The Fresno Bee, Schiff spoke in defense of the state’s multibillion-dollar farming industry and the thousands of workers who harvest nearly half of the nation’s supply of fruits and vegetables and almost all of its almonds and pistachios.

The former Congressman, who rose to prominence as the lead prosecutor in Trump’s impeachment hearings in 2019 and 2020, has become a frequent target of the president.

Elected to the Senate in 2024, Schiff is unbothered by the name-calling. He remains critical of the Trump Administration and its efforts to reduce the size of government and bring back manufacturing jobs through tariffs on foreign goods.

The senator disagrees with the tariff strategy, saying California farmers, especially almond and pistachio growers, who depend on exports, will suffer, much like they did the last time Trump imposed tariffs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that in 2018 U.S. farmers took a $27 billion hit from retaliatory tariffs. In California, tree nut growers suffered the biggest losses at $239 million.

A federal bailout program fell short of making up for the losses.

“The concern I have for California farmers is that the last time there was a bailout fund, when Trump was last president, almost none of it went back to California farmers,” Schiff said.

“The vast majority of those bailout funds went to commodity growers in the Midwest. So I want to make sure that ... California farmers and specialty crop farmers are treated fairly.”

Adam Schiff and California agriculture

Schiff has also been critical of the USDA’s layoff of nearly 6,000 probationary employees, some of whom worked on the front lines of battling plant pests and diseases.

Recently, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction against the USDA’s termination of probationary employees. The court found the layoffs were unlawful, and an appeal is pending.

“To cut those experts and their expertise ... is just insane,” Schifff said.

Since joining the Senate, Schiff has toured the state’s vast farming regions and has been in awe of the multi-generational farm families that have survived for decades, despite the many challenges.

It’s also one of the reasons he wanted to serve on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Schiff is the first California senator to be on the committee in more than 30 years.

And while he realizes many farmers in the San Joaquin Valley are Trump supporters, that’s not going to weaken his support for them.

“Whatever our views are on other issues, I’m still going to be an aggressive champion of the industry,” he said. “I want the farmers and the farm workers to view me as their ally and their champion, and look forward to getting to know them better. I’m hugely proud of what the industry does, and I just want to let people know that.”

California water priorities and legal workforce

Schiff vows to find a solution to the region’s demands for irrigation water.

“I want to make sure that we are bringing about a sensible water policy that tries to look for solutions that both support our cities and farms and the environment — and I know that it’s difficult and treacherous waters, but we’re going to have to figure it because it’s a scarce and precious resource,” Schiff said.

Also on the senator’s plate is the issue of securing a stable and legal workforce. Roughly half of the state’s farm workers are not authorized to work in the U.S., and their numbers are dwindling.

Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants threatens to shrink the supply of workers further.

Schiff admits that introducing legislation aimed at immigration reform could be dicey given the current climate of Trump-ordered mass deportations. But there may be a way around that.

Schiff told a Republican colleague recently that they should appeal to the president’s ego, by telling him that he could be the first president to bring about comprehensive immigration reform.

“The way to appeal to this president is by appealing to his vanity,” Schiff said. “And if that works, then let’s appeal to his vanity, because I would love for us to get back to trying to work out a sensible and comprehensive bill that makes sure that our borders are secure, but also make sure that we have a pathway to citizenship for people like farm workers who are toiling away for all the rest of us.”

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