White House Weighs Helping Farmers as Trump Escalates Trade War

[Say it aint so]

Ahead of President Trump’s plan to impose sweeping tariffs across the globe this week, his administration is weighing a new round of emergency aid to farmers, who are likely to be caught in the middle if America’s trading partners retaliate.​

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The early discussions offer a tacit acknowledgment that Mr. Trump’s expansive tariffs could unleash financial devastation throughout the U.S. agricultural industry, a crucial voting base that the president similarly tried to safeguard during his 2018 trade war with China.​

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While the president has not announced any details of an aid package, his advisers have signaled in recent days that he could follow a playbook similar to the one he used in his first term, when he directed billions in payments to farmers who saw their exports to China plummet amid a trade war with Beijing. NYT​

It's "Déjà vu all over again" or, what's the definition of insanity again? Problem is, it's just not the farmers this go around who will feel the effects of retaliatory tariffs. I live in Seattle, and north of me there's this place called Point Roberts who depend on Canadian customers. Darn near every business there is or will go under.

 

[FAITH-IN-HIM]

I do not believe that the government needs to provide financial aid or redistribute wealth to these farmers.

Most farmers voted for President Trump, and they are satisfied with President Trump's commitment to fulfilling his promises. Promise made Promise kept!

Little hardship from terrif is good for the farmers. They will come out bigger, better and stronger!

 

[Fantine]

Instead of just giving farmers money, why not buy their surplus products and give them to food banks as the government has been doing for years? DOGE's ending $1 billion in food security programs going to food pantries all over the country has resulted in one food pantry in my community already closing. A friend copied a passage from her church bulletin in Florida this morning begging for help for the food pantry since government aid had stopped and people were hungry.
Surplus food purchased by the federal government also helps school lunch/breakfast programs and Native Americans living on reservations in South Dakota and elsewhere (called commodities.)
Not exactly "killing two birds with one stone" but a similar goal. Solving two problems--struggling farmers and hungry families--with one solution.

 

[Nithavela]

Instead of just giving farmers money, why not buy their surplus products and give them to food banks as the government has been doing for years? DOGE's ending $1 billion in food security programs going to food pantries all over the country has resulted in one food pantry in my community already closing. A friend copied a passage from her church bulletin in Florida this morning begging for help for the food pantry since government aid had stopped and people were hungry.
Surplus food purchased by the federal government also helps school lunch/breakfast programs and Native Americans living on reservations in South Dakota and elsewhere (called commodities.)
Not exactly "killing two birds with one stone" but a similar goal. Solving two problems--struggling farmers and hungry families--with one solution.

It's much more efficient to pay the farmers to trash their produce while the children hunger.

 

[Pommer]

Most farmers voted for President Trump, and they are satisfied with President Trump's commitment to fulfilling his promises. Promise made Promise kept!

Is that really so?

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Is that really so?

 

[Laodicean60]

Little hardship from terrif is good for the farmers. They will come out bigger, better and stronger!

Yep, instead of our reliance on China, exporters will have to look for different markets. We should look to fill the void caused by our sanctions on Russia, which are hurting Africa.

 

[FAITH-IN-HIM]

Yep, instead of our reliance on China, exporters will have to look for different markets. We should look to fill the void caused by our sanctions on Russia, which are hurting Africa.

Do you mean Canada? They do not purchase US products even though they are offered at a 50% discount in grocery stores throughout Canada.

 

[Laodicean60]

Do you mean Canada?

We send a lot of agricultural products to China, and we may have too many eggs in one basket. In 2018, tariffs against China hurt our farmers.

I feel exporters should diversify markets, and Africa is a good market because their main supplier is being sanctioned.

They do not purchase US products even though they are offered at a 50% discount in grocery stores throughout Canada.

Lol, now even less because of Trump's tariffs.

 

[FAITH-IN-HIM]

We send a lot of agricultural products to China, and we may have too many eggs in one basket. In 2018, tariffs against China hurt our farmers.

I feel exporters should diversify markets, and Africa is a good market because their main supplier is being sanctioned.

Lol, now even less because of Trump's tariffs.

Do you want to replace the Chinese market with the African market? Africa has a much higher poverty rate than China, with 480 million people living in poverty compared to China's 50 million. This means far fewer Africans can afford American products.

 

[Laodicean60]

Do you want to replace the Chinese market with the African market? Africa has a much higher poverty rate than China, with 480 million people living in poverty compared to China's 50 million. This means far fewer Africans can afford American products.

No just saying diversification.