Report: Up to $12 billion in aid for US farmers could be available

Up to $12 billion in aid for farmers hurt by the Trump administration’s tariff policies will be available once the government shutdown ends, according to a Politico report.

The report cited three sources familiar with the issue.

Sen. John Hoeven told reporters Oct. 30 that a Market Facilitation Program, similar to the bailout issued during Donald Trump’s his first-term trade wars, is “all teed up and good to go.”

Earlier this week, the U.S. and China reached a truce in their ongoing economic standoff. Though details remain unclear,  U.S. producers of soybeans, sorghum and meat hope the deal will bring some relief.

In September, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said officials were monitoring commodity markets and mulling aid for U.S. farmers amid tariff disputes and record-high yields.

China, the world’s largest importer of soybeans, has refused to buy U.S. soybeans this year as part of its response to tariffs imposed by Trump on Chinese goods in February. Of the $24 billion in U.S. soybeans exported in 2024, nearly $13 billion went to China, according to USDA statistics.

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance has urged Congress to include aid for specialty crop growers along with any help provided for program crops.