Baldwin Says Trump’s Bailout is No Fix to His Trade War’s Damage to Wisconsin Farmers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) released the following statement after President Trump announced a $12 billion bailout to farmers who have been hurt by his own trade war:
Reporting has shown that the Trump administration’s tariffs have made it difficult for Wisconsin dairy farmers to export milk products and for beef producers and soybean farmers to access Chinese markets. Trump’s trade war had led to China boycotting American soybeans, causing soybean prices to drop significantly and leaving farmers without places to sell their products. While China has since committed to purchasing American soybeans, Wisconsin farmers are still waiting for them to fulfill their agreement to purchase American soybeans at the promised levels.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin
I wonder if this huge payout will go primarily to the large corporate farms that can likely weather the business or if the money will be primarily given to the small family farmer who is simply trying to maintain his daily livelihood? I can guess which group of farmers will see the most of this huge package.
“What’s past is prologue”
“An analysis of Agriculture Department payment data shows that 6,430 big farm operations each collected $100,000 or more since 2018 in each of the past three bailouts. Of those, a staggering 2,191 operations each took in more than a total of $1 million in government bailout payments from the three bailouts.
But a very different situation played out for the vast majority of farmers who sought bailout payments, including small farms. During the last Trump trade war bailout, nearly 400,000 struggling farmers each received less than $10,000”.
While visiting Wisconsin last year (2019), Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in essence said farmers should get big or get out.