Dan Duffy makes use of a tractor to plant soybeans on land he farms together with his brother on April 28, 2025 close to Dwight, Illinois.
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Scott Olson/Getty Pictures North America
The Trump administration introduced $12 billion in one-time funds to farmers within the wake of this 12 months’s tariff hikes on Monday, primarily focusing on farmers who develop crops reminiscent of soybeans and corn.
The transfer was outlined throughout a White Home roundtable occasion, that includes farmers affected in addition to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Trump touted this system in relation to the income the federal government is taking in on account of his sweeping tariff program and in addition referenced his reputation amongst farmers.
“What we’re doing is we’re taking a comparatively small portion of that, and we’ll be giving and offering it to the farmers in financial help. And we love our farmers,” he mentioned. “And as you already know, the farmers like me, as a result of, you already know, primarily based on, primarily based on voting traits, you would name it voting traits or anything, however they’re nice folks.”
The transfer comes because the administration appears to deal with financial considerations from key Trump constituencies because the tariff results play out but additionally on the heels of a making an attempt few years for row crop farmers.
Costs for row crops reminiscent of corn and soybeans have fallen lately, based on the Farm Bureau, and costs for inputs have risen over time. Nevertheless, tariffs have additionally pushed prices up on these inputs, together with equipment and fertilizer.
The White Home is asking the brand new coverage the Farm Bridge Help program, saying it’s meant to help farmers till Trump’s financial insurance policies, reminiscent of decreasing some taxes and imposing stiff tariffs, take better impact.
“President Trump helps our agriculture business by negotiating new commerce offers to open new export markets for our farmers and boosting the farm security web for the primary time in a decade. At the moment’s announcement displays the President’s dedication to serving to our farmers, who can have the help they should bridge the hole between Biden’s failures and the President’s profitable insurance policies taking impact,” mentioned White Home spokeswoman Anna Kelly.
The cash can be coming from the USDA’s Commodity Credit score Company, which Trump additionally used to provide farmers financial support in his first time period.
Trump framed the brand new support program as part of his try to answer considerations about excessive costs. In introducing the subject, Trump dismissed Democrats’ current emphasis on affordability.
“They generally tend to simply say, ‘This election’s primarily based on affordability,’ and nobody questions them,” he mentioned. “No person says, ‘oh nicely, what do you imply by that?’ They only say the phrase. They by no means say anything as a result of they prompted the issue. However we’re fixing the issue.”
Trump additionally mentioned he would take away environmental rules on massive equipment, reminiscent of tractors, in an try to decrease costs on these.
Tariffs, nevertheless, have weighed on these producers. John Deere earlier this 12 months estimated that tariffs would price it $600 million {dollars} in 2025.
