Senate and House Ag Committee leaders are questioning President Donald Trump’s logic in allowing the USDA to create a new program to provide trade offsetting payments to farmers at the same time Congress is crafting a new farm bill. Nebraska Farm Bureau National Affairs Director Jordan Dux agrees with the ag leaders. He says having USDA create a new program just complicates the farm bill process.
The President ordered Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue to look at all options to help farmers deal with China’s trade retaliation. Dux says rather than getting government payments, farmers and ranchers would rather have markets they can sell to and rely on.
Dux says it’s more important for the President to support solid trade policies rather than creating new government programs that need to be funded.
The discussion about possible trade payments to farmers comes as the House Agriculture Committee is planning to mark up a farm bill possibly as early as next week. Senate Ag Committee leaders are still working on their draft.
