Trump administration officials are assuring farm-state Republicans they will funnel billions of taxpayer dollars to farmers who are hit by President Donald Trump’s intensifying trade war.
But it may be some time before any money is released. The administration wants to take stock of the economic fallout of the tariffs in the agriculture sector before rolling out aid, officials have told Republicans on Capitol Hill, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter. That will likely take several more months.
The topic came up again Thursday when Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins lunched with Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee overseeing the Agriculture Department, at the White House complex Thursday, according to two other Republicans familiar with the matter. The discussion focused largely on reconciliation, as Republicans continue to explore whether they can add some farm bill program funding into the massive bill, along with cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food assistance for low-income Americans, according to the people.
But Rollins mentioned during the conversation she was exploring how to again tap an internal USDA fund known as the Commodity Credit Corp. to send out billions in possible farm economic aid, if needed. Hoeven confirmed later Thursday he spoke with Rollins about the CCC as an avenue for any farm economic aid, among other topics.
