US Senator slams Trump’s 12B farm aid, cites India tariff fallout

Washington, Dec 10 (IANS) A top American Senator Sen. Maria Cantwell blasted President Donald Trump’s new $12 billion plan to aid farmers hurt by his trade battles, calling the effort a “meager bailout” that fails to fix the damage caused by tariffs that have reshaped global markets and hit major exporters — including products once shipped in large volumes to India. 

A day earlier, President Donald Trump said he would direct up to $11 billion to a new Farmer Bridge Assistance Program for producers of soybeans, corn, wheat, lentils, chickpeas, and barley. Another $1 billion would go to specialty crops, though the administration has not released details or timelines for distributing that aid. Payments are expected by February 28, 2026.

The assistance will be funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation and administered by the Farm Service Agency. The announcement comes more than a year after Trump’s first round of tariffs triggered rapid threats of retaliation against US goods, the USDA said.

Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell said the administration’s approach offers too little, too late. “Washington farmers don't want a meager bailout; they want to be able to export their goods across the globe,” she said. She warned that “Trump's tariff chaos is sabotaging decades of hard work winning overseas shelf space.”

She added that the ongoing trade fight threatens major Northwest export hubs that handle nearly $20 billion worth of US agricultural shipments annually. “Trump's tariffs continue to harm American consumers, manufacturers, and small businesses, who keep paying the costs without relief,” she said.

Specialty crops — which include many of Washington state’s top exports — account for more than 30 per cent of US agricultural output but would receive only 8 per cent of the aid, according to the release. The category includes apples, cherries, potatoes, and pulse crops — sectors deeply affected when India imposed retaliatory tariffs after Trump levied steel and aluminum duties in his first term.

The release noted that US apple exports to India collapsed from $120 million in 2017 to less than $1 million by 2023. It credited Cantwell’s “several years” of advocacy with helping persuade India to end those retaliatory tariffs in September 2023, calling the reversal “welcome news” to more than 1,400 Washington apple growers and tens of thousands of workers.

Cantwell also highlighted her bipartisan Trade Review Act, introduced with Sen. Chuck Grassley, which aims to limit a president’s tariff authority and restore more congressional oversight. The bill has drawn support from both parties and major business groups.

The release referenced rising consumer prices tied to tariffs, citing Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis economists who found increases in the cost of vehicles, electronics, and furniture.

India and the United States have repeatedly clashed over agricultural trade, including duties on apples, pulses, and almonds. India’s removal of its retaliatory tariffs in 2023 marked a rare de-escalation as both countries sought to stabilize trade ties.

--IANS

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