Overview
- About $11 billion will flow through USDA’s new Farmer Bridge Assistance program for single payments to growers of row crops, with roughly $1 billion reserved for other producers.
- President Trump said the package will be financed from tariff receipts, with officials citing Commodity Credit Corporation authority to move funds without new congressional approval.
- Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said farmers can apply in the coming weeks and that money is expected to be distributed by Feb. 28, with specific payout rates and eligibility details to follow.
- The rollout follows reduced exports tied to tariff disputes, especially a sharp drop in soybean sales to China, which has purchased only a fraction of pledged volumes though officials say commitments can be met by late February.
- Farm groups welcomed stopgap relief but stressed the need for stable markets, while critics called the plan a short-term fix that echoes large bailout programs deployed during Trump’s first term.