President Donald Trump on Dec. 8 announced a $12 billion economic assistance package for American farmers. He said the aid will come directly from tariff revenue collected during the administration’s trade disputes.
Trump revealed the plan during a White House roundtable with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, members of Congress and representatives from major crop and livestock sectors. He said the relief package is meant to help farmers who have faced depressed prices and reduced foreign purchases during the trade war.
Trump said his administration was taking “a very vital action to protect and defend American farmers and reduce prices for the American consumers.” He explained that the United States would use a “small portion of the hundreds of billions of dollars we receive in tariffs.” He said the goal is to fund the assistance farmers need. “They’re the backbone of our country,” he added. “So we’re going to use that money to provide $12 billion in economic assistance to American farmers.”
About $11 billion will be distributed through the USDA’s Farmer Bridge Assistance program. The program will provide one-time bridge payments to growers of major row crops such as soybeans, corn, wheat, rice and cotton. Another $1 billion will support specialty crops that fall outside the program.
Soybean farmers have suffered major losses after China halted most imports earlier this year. The move was a response to Trump’s tariffs.
China shifted purchases to countries such as Argentina. Purchases began to return in late October after a meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
China later recorded its largest single-day purchase of U.S. soybeans in two years. Since Oct. 30, China has bought about 2.8 million tons. The figure remains short of the 12 million tons Beijing pledged to buy by February.
Trump said he believes China will exceed its commitments. He expressed optimism that trade discussions are moving in the right direction.
During the roundtable, Louisiana rice agribusiness owner Meryl Kennedy said foreign exporters have been dumping rice into the U.S. market for years. She said the practice has made it difficult for American rice to compete. “Puerto Rico used to be one of the largest markets for U.S. rice,” she said. “We haven’t shipped rice into Puerto Rico in years.”
A White House official said the $12 billion package is designed to give farmers a financial bridge. The official said the goal is to help farmers as Trump’s broader economic policies take hold. Trump echoed that message and said the relief will “provide much-needed certainty to farmers as they get this year’s harvest to market and look ahead to next year’s crops.” He added that the program will “help them continue their efforts to lower food prices for American families.”
Trump also criticized the prior administration’s agricultural policies. “Under sleepy Joe Biden, our farmers were crushed by the worst inflation in modern history,” he said. He also said they faced “crippling restrictions on energy, water and countless other necessities for farmers.”
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said Trump is stabilizing the agricultural sector. She said farmers “suffered for years under Joe Biden,” and pointed to higher costs and a wider trade deficit. She said Trump is “negotiating new trade deals to open new export markets for our farmers and boosting the farm safety net for the first time in a decade.”
The farm aid announcement came two days after Trump signed an executive order creating task forces inside the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission. The order directs investigators to examine possible anti-competitive behavior in the food supply chain. Trump said these sectors have vulnerabilities. He listed meat processing, seed, fertilizer and equipment companies as areas of concern.
Trump also noted that he has other tariff options if the Supreme Court rules against his current authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. He said he has “other methods of charging tariffs” if needed.
The USDA announced $9.3 billion in March for row crop farmers under the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program. Trump also authorized $28 billion in aid during his first term to offset losses from an earlier standoff with China.
The new $12 billion package marks Trump’s latest push to strengthen the farm economy. It also reflects his goal of using tariff revenue to deliver immediate relief to American farmers.