President Donald Trump announced a $12 billion farm aid package on Monday, aiming to cushion farmers battered by rising costs and trade tariffs.
The Aid Package
Trump unveiled the plan during a White House roundtable that included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, lawmakers, and farmers who raise cattle and grow corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, rice, wheat, and potatoes. \\”$12 billion is a lot of money,\\” Trump said, adding that the additional aid will help provide certainty for farmers. \\”The money is coming from tariff revenue,\\” he said.
Rollins noted that $11 billion is being announced on Monday, while another $1 billion is being held back for specialty crops. Upwards of $11 billion is set aside for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmer Bridge Assistance program, which the White House says will offer one‑time payments to farmers for row crops.
Meeting Dynamics
The roundtable also featured a White House official granted anonymity ahead of the formal announcement to detail the new plan. The official said the rest of the money will be for farmers who grow crops not covered under the bridge assistance program. The money is intended to offer certainty to farmers as they sell their current harvest and plan for next year’s crop.
Farmers’ Perspective
Farmers welcomed the aid but said it is likely only a down payment on what’s needed. \\”That’s a start, but I think we need to be looking for some avenues to find other funding opportunities and we need to get our markets going. That’s where we want to be able to make a living from,\\” said Caleb Ragland, the Kentucky farmer who serves as president of the American Soybean Association.
Farmers also pointed out that during Trump’s first term, he gave farmers more than $22 billion in aid payments in 2019 at the start of his trade war with China and nearly $46 billion in 2020, although that year also included aid related to the COVID pandemic.
Political Reactions
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D‑N.Y., said the president \\”wants credit for trying to fix a mess of his making\\” and blamed Trump’s tariffs for the adversity faced by farmers. On the social media site X, Schumer said, \\”Trump’s tariffs are hammering our farmers, making it more expensive to grow food and pushing farmers into bankruptcy.\\”
Rebecca Wolf, a senior food policy analyst at Food & Water Watch, added that bailouts are \\”a denigrating Band‑Aid to farmers\\” who have been left vulnerable to trade wars by \\”decades of misguided domestic policy.\\” She said, \\”Trump’s tariff tantrum and belittling bailouts will deepen agricultural sector consolidation, funneling money to a powerful few corporations, while running farmers further into the ground.\\”
China’s Soybean Commitments
In October, after Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea, the White House said Beijing had promised to buy at least 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans by the end of the calendar year, plus 25 million metric tons a year in each of the next three years. China has purchased more than 2.8 million metric tons of soybeans since Trump announced the agreement at the end of October. That’s only about one quarter of what administration officials said China had promised, but Bessent has said China is on track to meet its goal by the end of February.
\\”These prices haven’t come in, because the Chinese actually used our soybean farmers as pawns in the trade negotiations,\\” Bessent said on CBS’ \\”Face the Nation,\\” explaining why a \\”bridge payment\\” to farmers was needed.
Other Agricultural Challenges
Trump has also been under pressure to address soaring beef prices, which have hit records for a number of reasons. He said he would allow for more imports of Argentine beef and had asked the Department of Justice to investigate foreign‑owned meat packers he accused of driving up the price of beef, although he has not provided evidence to back his claims.
On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order directing the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission to look at \\”anti‑competitive behavior\\” in food supply chains — including seed, fertilizer and equipment — and consider taking enforcement actions or developing new regulations.
Science and Technology Efforts
At the Salk Institute in San Diego, scientists are using AI to identify roots that will make crops more resilient to drought, floods, and extreme heat. If successful, it could also mean extra revenue for farmers. National climate reporter Chase Cain got an exclusive look inside the high‑tech lab.
Key Takeaways
- Trump announced a $12 billion farm aid package to support U.S. farmers hit by trade tariffs.
- The aid includes $11 billion for Farmer Bridge Assistance and $1 billion for specialty crops.
- China’s soybean purchases remain below promised levels, but officials say the target may be met by February.
The announcement represents the administration’s latest effort to defend Trump’s economic stewardship amid scrutiny over trade policies and rising costs for farmers.
