Ag Policy Blog

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that farmers will need an aid package before the end of the year.

After discussing the prospects of a government shutdown, Thune was asked about tariffs and President Trump's suggestion of taking tariff funds and using some of those dollars to help farmers.

Host Kristen Welker asked, "Why should American taxpayers bail out farmers who are hurting because of the president's tariff policy?"

Thune responded, "Well, look. I think that the farmers, and I represent a lot of them, and they want nothing more than open markets. There are markets right now that aren't open to some of our commodities. As a consequence of that, we've got a big harvest coming in here in South Dakota, corn, soybeans, and no place to go with it. So, what the president has said is, "I'm going to support and I'm going to help our farmers." And so we are looking at it."

Thune noted he remains a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

"And we're looking at potential solutions to make sure that we can help support farmers until some of those markets come back. I think part of it is that the president's trying to achieve, with his trade policy, reciprocity with countries that have been taking advantage of us for a long time. And I think most of us support that. I think a lot of our farmers support that. They are anxious. They want to see markets opened up. And so when I speak to the president and his team about this, I always reiterate the importance of keeping agriculture front and center when you're negotiating trade deals. But, at the end of the day, our farmers are probably going to need some financial assistance this year. And a lot of the revenue coming in off the tariffs is what they would use to provide that."

Thune said there was precedent for providing trade aid to farmers, but Congress has never specifically allocated tariff dollars to support producers.

Welker added, "Why not ask the president to roll back some of his tariffs instead of supporting a taxpayer-funded bailout for farmers?"

Thune pointed to China being the biggest obstacle to reaching a deal and getting the country to again buy U.S. farm products.

"The Chinese are buying from Argentina. They're buying from Brazil, paying much higher prices per bushel simply to punish the U.S. and our farmers. So, I mean, obviously, we've got a situation here. Hopefully, it is short-term in nature. If we have to do something to support farmers, the long-term best outcome and solution for America's farmers is open markets, and I'm hoping the administration will be successful in achieving that," Thune said.

Meet the Press https://www.nbcnews.com/…

Also see, "At Flinchbaugh Forum, Serious Policy Concerns Spotlight Former Economist's Flair,"

https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

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