McCaskill Pushes to Ensure $12 Billion Bailout for Farmers Hurt by Ongoing Trade War Benefits Missouri’s Family Farmers
Senator: ‘federal assistance program must support family farmers, not prop up foreign-owned agribusinesses from the very countries that are targeting our farmers’
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill called on the Administration to provide additional details on the proposed $12 billion bailout for agriculture producers hurt by tariffs and the ongoing trade war, and urged the benefits to be distributed quickly to Missouri farm families and not foreign-owned agribusinesses.
“First, any federal assistance program must support family farmers, not prop up foreign-owned agribusinesses from the very countries that are targeting our farmers,” McCaskill wrote in a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “While foreign owned and corporate agriculture ventures may have the ability to internalize losses, Missouri farm families do not. Financial assistance should be targeted to farmers like those in my state who find themselves working every day to keep their family farm in business.”
In her letter to Secretary Perdue, McCaskill continued, “I ask that you consider using average yield data of years past to maintain fairness to farmers facing natural disasters across the Midwest. Not only will the drought severely impact Missouri yield numbers for this year, waiting for this year’s yield numbers to determine aid amounts would result in an aid package that provides too little too late.”
McCaskill, who has called for an end to the current trade war that is costing Missouri jobs and threatening Missouri’s agriculture producers, responded to the Administration’s announcement to assist farmers impacted by the ongoing trade war saying, “Picking winners and losers is not sound policy and this money won’t help many of the Missourians hurt by this trade war, including the laid off employees at Mid Continent Nail. We should get back to opening markets for our farmers and aggressively enforcing our trade laws.”
McCaskill has consistently fought to ensure Missouri's farmers and ranchers have the resources they need to succeed. McCaskill recently launched a drought resource page to aid Missouri’s farmers and ranchers affected by intense drought conditions. McCaskill also worked with Senator Blunt to request drought assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release additional acreage for haying and grazing. McCaskill also voted in support of the Senate’s bipartisan Farm Bill.
Full text of letter HERE.
Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/
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