Tag: farmers hurt by Trump tariffs

Trump has only distributed a fraction of promised bailout funds for farmers hurt by tariffs

The Trump Administraiton has distributed less than $900 million from a $12 billion bailout program it promised farmers hurt by the President’s ongoing trade war, the New York Times reported this week. Credit:: Nova Safo, AFP, Getty Images

Less than $900 million of a $12 billion bailout program has actually been given to U.S. producers.

The Trump administration has distributed only a fraction of the money it promised farmers hurt by the president’s ongoing trade war, The New York Times reported Monday.

According to officials from the Department of Agriculture (USDA), just $838 million of a promised $12 billion bailout program for farmers affected by tit-for-tat tariffs has been paid out since September, when the administration made half the funds available. The remaining $6 billion is expected to be made available in December.

The Times writes that the program has been plagued by “bureaucracy as well as practical challenges” since its inception. Farmers are often told they must wait until they complete their harvests before applying for bailout funding, a process that’s been slowed by poor weather conditions, and even then, receive far less than they might get during normal years.

View the complete November 19 article by Melanie Schmitz on the ThinkProgress.org website here.

Trump administration to propose “temporary relief” to farmers

The following article by Jonathan Swan and Alayna Treene was posted on the Axios website July 24, 2018:

Farmer John Duffy loads soybeans from his grain bin onto a truck in Illinois. Credit: Scott Olson, Getty Images

The Trump administration will propose a “temporary relief” plan this afternoon to farmers who have been hit hard by retaliatory tariffs, a source with direct knowledge told Axios.

Why it matters: This an idea that conservatives will hate. The proposal — put forth by the Department of Agriculture, not the White House — is the very opposite of free market economics. Earlier this year, Axios reported that Trump floated a similar idea of creating subsidy payments for farmers, but it was shot down by Republican lawmakers.

View the article here.