Trump announces $12B aid package for farmers
Funds intended to offset sales lost in trade wars
By: Bart Jansen
USA Today
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump unveiled a $12 billion assistance package for farmers hurt by ongoing trade wars and inflation.
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"This relief will provide much needed certainly to farmers as they get this year's [2025] harvest to market and look ahead to next year's [2026] crops," Trump said in announcing the farm aid during a White House event with Agriculture Secretary Scoot Bessent, lawmakers and farmers.
..... Trump is helping the agricultural industry by negotiation trade deals to open new export markets for farmers, according to Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson. she contrasted Trump's support with a $1.2 trillion trade deficit and growing production costs during the Biden administration.
..... "Today's [12/08/2025] announcement reflects the president's commitment to helping our farmers, who will have the support they need to bridge the gap between Biden's failures and the president;s successful policies taking effect," Kelly said.
..... But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said on social media Trump wanted credit for fixing a mess of his own making.
..... "Trump's tariffs are hammering our farmers, among it more expensive to grow food and pushing farmers into bankruptcy," Schumer said. "Farmers need markets to sell to - not a consolation prize for the ones he wrecked."
..... Within the aid package, $11 billion will go to a newly designed Farmer Bridge Assistance program, which will provide one-time payments to row-crop farmers as they recover from trade actions by foreign governments and other market disruptions, a White House official said.
..... The remaining $1 billion will be reserved for other crops, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture will determine, based on market conditions, the official said.
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Payments are aimed at providing certainly to farmers as they market this year's [2025] harvest and plan for next year's [2026] crops, the official said.
..... Trump has said for months he would provide aid to farmers because of the trade disputes. he reached a trade deal in October [2025] with China, the largest customer for U.S. soybeans.
..... But Chicago soybean futures fell below $11 a bushel December 8 [2025] for the first time since October [2025] amid uncertainty over whether China will buy as much U.S. supply as Washington expects.
..... "Under the president's direction, these farmers will have a backstop if in fact we are not able to move these commodities out," Rollins told reporters October 16. [2025]
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The American Farm Bureau Federation said November 24 [2025] tat aid was "urgently needed,: with farm bankruptcies on the rise as the costs to grow crops outpaced the revenues farmers received.
..... Farmers experienced multibillion-dollar declines in exports with their largest overseas market, including China, after Trump imposed tariffs on imports from abroad.
..... Soybean farmers in particulate were hurt this year [2025] because China retaliated against U.S. Tariffs with its own tax hikes, which led to the country buying from Brazil and Argentina instead.
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Rollins said one of the administration's goals through the tariffs is to negotiate trade deals that send more products overseas.
..... "I'm constantly talking to them about selling more soybeans, selling more corn, getting more of our products out," Rollins said December 2, [2025] "But when we really think about how to solve for this of them have been farming for government checks instead of moving their product around the world."
..... Contributing: Zac Anderson, USA Today; Reuters