President Trump announced Friday that the United States Department of Agriculture will offer $16 billion in direct grants to farmers and ranchers who are struggling amid the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, the department will purchase $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy, and meat to distribute to food banks, community organizations, and charities.
The money will come from the $2.2 trillion congressional coronavirus economic relief bill, as well as separate USDA funds, The Hill reports. The payments, which are expected to go out at the end of May, will reportedly account for 85 percent of farmers' and ranchers' losses between Jan. 1 and April 15. The plan also seeks to address disruptions in the supply chain by using commercial distributors like Cisco to package bulk products into pre-approved boxes of dairy, meat, and produce products. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said he hopes those companies' employees will be able to help relieve some pressure on food banks that are short on volunteers amid high demand during the economic shutdown.
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.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The unlikely staying power of the humble floppy diskUnder the Radar Outdated and finite storage media are still used by governments around the world and have 'enduring' appeal'
-
'Biden's hit a pothole'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Is Marjorie Taylor Greene finished?Talking Points Marjorie Taylor Greene's effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson failed, but it still left many of her fellow Republicans furious
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homesSpeed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bidSpeed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detenteSpeed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe feesSpeed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billionSpeed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
