New farm aid announced amid tariff war, but are Black farmers being left out?
Pres. Trump met with farmers at the White House and announced a $16 billion government bailout on Thursday, the second government revenue rescue effort in a year. He claimed the payout, which is being allocated through the USDA, will "all come from China," while the U.S. is still in the midst of a trade war with them. This commitment sounds similar to saying Mexico is going to pay for the border wall.
The president admitted the politics of the year-long tariff tussle with China has hurt the farming industry. Some farmers say Trump can do more and are still waiting for the government to make good on a previous promise for financial aid. Just last year Pres. Trump endorsed a $11 billion farm aid package.
With no end in sight for the U.S.-China trade negotiations more aid is being offered to absorb some of the blow to farmers' bottom line.
“The plan we are announcing today ensures farmers do not bear the brunt of unfair retaliatory tariffs imposed by China and other trading partners,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said.
Purdue said they got feedback from farmers about last year's program to improve this one. Farmers had complained that there were not getting enough help with both crops and tariffs. An aspect of the second plan addresses this concern
Sec. Purdue said there will be three pay outs and estimated they would start in July or August. The majority of the funds $14.5 billion will directly go to farmers, while the USDA will use $1.4 billion to purchase surplus commodities and invest $100 million in programs promoting U.S. farm products overseas.
All farmers will not automatically qualify for the bail out. "The direct payment portion of the aid package has a more complex design than the Trump administration’s version last year. It is also based on a longer-term evaluation of the harm of the trade disputes on U.S. agricultural exports," according to an article in Politico.
Farming advocate John Boyd, Jr. has criticized the government for ignoring Black farmers. He is the president of the National Black Farmers Association and the victim of a hate crime. The Baskerville, VA based farmer said on CNN with Don Lemon that graffiti using the N-word was left at the entrance of his farm and he believes Pres. Trump should speak out about it and do more to unite the country. He said he still has not seen any funds from the first round of promises and he was not invited to sit down and meet with the POTUS. The Black Farmers Association were the guests of Pres. Trump at the American Farm Bureau Association convention in Nashville in 2018? Are Black farmers being denied a seat at the table with Pres. Trump at the White House?
