Donald Trump bypasses Congress to give US$20 billion to farmers hurting from US-China trade war
- Turning to obscure 1940s law, president seeks to shore up support in rural states ahead of 2020 election
- Move resembles strategy Trump used to shift millions of dollars meant for US military to pay for sections of his border wall
Moving to offset the impact his trade war has had on rural America, US President Donald Trump has bypassed Congress to send some US$20 billion in aid to farmers, mostly going to a bundle of states that are essential to his re-election chances next year.
The payments have ranged from as little as US$2 for some small-scale farmers to more than US$1 million each for some corporate agricultural enterprises.
To sidestep Congress, which has long considered price supports for farmers its exclusive domain, the administration cited an obscure law from the 1940s that was passed in the aftermath of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.
Until Trump, no president had ever used that law to make direct payments to farmers, let alone tens of billions.
The strategy bears some resemblance to the one Trump used to shift millions of dollars that Congress appropriated for the military to pay for sections of his border wall.
Unlike the border wall money, however, the farm aid has not drawn challenges from Congress, perhaps because Democrats have their own political reasons for not wanting to oppose help for rural areas in politically important states.