GOP senators say Trump's farm relief package is a dud

Some Senate Republicans are not impressed by the Department of Agriculture's announcement on Tuesday that farmers hurt by tariffs will receive $12 billion in aid.
The program will offer temporary relief as it offsets $11 billion in losses for soybean, cotton, sorghum, wheat, dairy, and pork producers, NBC News reports. Several senators said the Trump administration's tariffs targeting China, Canada, and Europe are harming farmers, and they want to see trade agreements like NAFTA finalized.
The program is "an acknowledgement" that imposing tariffs "has a lot of unintended consequences that creates a lot of collateral damage," Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said. "When you start doing this, where do you stop? This is not the right way to do this." Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) told NBC News the tariffs are "going to make it 1929 again. You choose a war of choice, which is what this trade war is, and then you say afterward, let's just solve it by buying people gold plated crutches? The farmers and ranchers of America, they don't want crutches, they want to work."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) likened the program to "welfare," and said instead of offering money to "farmers to solve a problem they themselves created, the administration should reverse course and end this incoherent policy."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Airplane crash-detection systems could be vulnerable to hackers
Under the Radar 'The idea scares the shit out of me,' one pilot said
-
5 tips for maintaining your gut microbiome's health
The Week Recommends A healthy gut is all the rage in wellness circles
-
Trump's super-charged pardon push raises eyebrows and concerns
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Never shy about using his pardon ability for political leverage, Trump's spate of amnesty announcements suggests the White House is taking things to a new level
-
Trump is trying to jump-start US manufacturing. Is it worth it?
Today's Big Question The jobs are good. The workers may not be there.
-
What is the dollar's future after Moody's downgrade?
Today's Big Question Trump trade wars and growing debt have investors looking elsewhere
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
How the US bond market works – and why it matters
The Explainer Donald Trump was forced to U-turn on tariffs after being 'spooked' by rise in Treasury yields
-
Why does the US need China's rare earth metals?
Today's Big Question Beijing has a 'near monopoly' on tech's raw materials