The Trump administration plans to roll out an initial payment of up to $12 billion for farmers hurt by the president’s tariff policies once the government shutdown ends, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The finalized amount will come on top of President Donald Trump’s recently announced truce with China, which could also give some relief to U.S. producers of soybeans, sorghum and meat. Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) told reporters Thursday that a Market Facilitation Program — similar to the $28 billion farmer bailout Trump issued during his first-term trade wars — is “all teed up and good to go.”
“That’s being held up by the shutdown,” Hoeven added.
Farmers have been grappling with tariff uncertainty, high costs for things like fertilizer and machinery, rising inflation, and other economic headwinds as they start to make decisions for next year’s planting season. That’s added pressure on lawmakers and administration officials who’ve been working for months to ready some sort of bailout and open new trade markets. Read more