Overview
- About $11 billion will flow through USDA’s new Farmer Bridge Assistance program as one-time payments to row‑crop producers, with roughly $1 billion held for specialty crops.
- The White House says farmers should receive payments by Feb. 28, 2026, following applications the administration plans to open in the coming weeks.
- Trump announced the package at a White House roundtable with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, lawmakers and growers from major commodities.
- The rollout follows sluggish Chinese follow‑through on soybean purchases the administration touted after October talks, with reporters noting roughly 2–2.8 million metric tons bought so far against larger commitments that Bessent says will be met by late February.
- Some farmers and Democrats argue the aid is inadequate and that restoring export markets is the necessary fix, as the administration also promises regulatory relief on farm machinery and scrutiny of anti‑competitive behavior in food supply chains.