Trump administration plans to send billions in emergency aid to US farmers affected by tariffs
The US government will provide up to US$12 billion in aid to American farmers hurt by the retaliatory tariffs imposed by trading partners
The Trump administration readied a plan on Tuesday to send billions in emergency aid to farmers who have been caught in the crossfire of US President Donald Trump’s trade disputes with China and other US trading partners.
The US government will provide up to $12 billion in aid to American farmers hurt by the retaliatory tariffs imposed by trading partners, US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Tuesday.
These actions are aimed “to assist farmers in response to trade damage caused by illegal retaliatory tariffs”, Perdue told reporters. He said this is a “short-term” solution to help farmers and give Trump time to negotiate a longer term trade deal.
Trump declared earlier on Tuesday that “Tariffs are the greatest!” and threatened to impose additional penalties on US trading partners as he prepared for negotiations with European officials at the White House.
The Trump administration has imposed tariffs on US$34 billion in Chinese goods in a dispute over Beijing’s hi-tech industrial policies.
China has retaliated with duties on soybeans and pork, affecting farmers in the Midwest – a region of the country that supported the president in his 2016 campaign.