A federal program designed to help farmers impacted by President Donald Trump’s tariffs — with at least $12 billion in aid — is ready to launch.
The problem: It can’t be implemented until the government shutdown ends.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told reporters Thursday that a Market Facilitation Program, similar to the $28 billion in tariff relief Trump issued during his first-term trade wars, is “all teed up and good to go,” Politico reported.
“That’s being held up by the shutdown,” Hoeven said.
The Department of Agriculture and the Office of Management and Budget had readied between $12 billion and $13 billion for aid, but until recently, officials were still working to determine how much would be allocated to farmers, according to Politico.
The funds are taxpayer dollars from an internal USDA account.
That would be in addition to revenue generated by Trump’s trade deal with China, which is expected to restore roughly $10 billion-$15 billion annually in farm exports — largely through renewed Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans and other agricultural goods.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Thursday that Trump secured new commitments from China to purchase 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans during the current season through January.
China also pledged to buy 25 million metric tons annually for the next three years as part of a larger trade agreement with Beijing.
Bessent said other countries in Southeast Asia have agreed to buy another 19 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans, but did not specify a time frame for those purchases or which nations were involved.
Asian importers other than China have bought between 8 million-10 million metric tons annually in recent years, according to Reuters, which cited U.S. Census Bureau trade data.
Earlier this month, the National Farmers Union sent letters to Trump and congressional leaders urging immediate action to provide economic relief for family farmers and ranchers.
The union emphasized that aid should reach small family farm operations most in need and called for parallel efforts to rebuild fair markets and curb corporate consolidation in agriculture.
“Family farmers and ranchers face severe economic challenges and a deepening crisis if they do not receive immediate assistance.
“Recently enacted trade policies and the resulting actions by other countries have wreaked havoc on our markets, driving commodity prices far below the cost of production,” Union President Rob Larew said in a news release.
“Input costs are projected to reach record levels in 2025. Stress levels are high among farmers, reflected in the rising number of farm bankruptcy filings across the country.”
Larew outlined three key principles to ensure aid provides meaningful and lasting relief: payments must be directed to family agricultural operations and balanced among regions and crops; aid must be paired with efforts to investigate monopolies in the agriculture industry and their impacts on the farm economy; and resources must be dedicated to developing new domestic markets for American crops and strengthening existing local and regional markets.
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