MaddowBlog-The top 10 problems with Trump's bailout for U.S. farmers

[LetMyPeopleVote]

At first blush, there’s a lot to like about the motivation behind the effort. But just below the surface, the policy suffers from some serious flaws.

The top 10 problems with Trump’s bailout for U.S. farmers - MS NOW

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— (@oc88.bsky.social) 2025-12-09T16:07:34.599Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/the-top-10-problems-with-trumps-bailout-for-u-s-farmers

This week, at long last, the president and his team unveiled the policy, assuring farmers that help is on the way — soon. The New York Times reported:

President Trump rolled out a $12 billion bailout for struggling farmers on Monday as he looks to shore up the finances of some of his most loyal supporters whose financial fortunes have been hurt by his trade war. … The payments to the farmers will be made by the end of February. The Trump administration will initially distribute $11 billion and is reserving another $1 billion to support growers of fruits and vegetables as needed.

...But just below the surface, the Republican administration’s policy suffers from some serious flaws. In fact, I made a top 10 list to highlight the problems with the White House’s initiative.

10. These guys have an awful track record. The last time Trump announced a $12 billion bailout for American farmers, it was during his first term. The policy fell far short, and farming bankruptcies climbed, even before the pandemic.

9. Trump is trying to misuse tariff revenue. At Monday’s rollout of the new policy, the president said the $12 billion bailout would be financed through revenue generated by his trade tariffs. But that’s not how any of this is supposed to work: Trump was effectively pitching the idea that he wants to help one group of Americans (farmers) by imposing taxes on a larger group of Americans (consumers and business owners), while pretending that foreigners are paying those costs.

8. Trump is wrong about the source of the money. Trump claimed that the $12 billion bailout would be financed through revenue generated by his trade tariffs, but that isn’t true......

3. The policy is rooted in partisan and electoral considerations. The president didn’t even try to unveil the bailout in a politically neutral way, declaring at a White House event that he considers this a priority because “the farmers like me, because you know, based on voting trends.” Left unsaid is what he would’ve done if the industry were struggling and he was under the impression that farmers didn’t like him.

2. Who else will get a bailout? If the White House is prepared to offer government assistance to one sector of the economy hurt by Trump’s agenda, administration officials should probably keep their checkbook handy, because the line of others who’ll also need a bailout won’t be short.

1. Trump’s trying to address a problem he created. The bailout, for all intents and purposes, is an admission of guilt: The Republican administration’s agenda is hurting his own country’s agricultural industry, thus the need for a bailout.

[cbabe]

1. Here's why Black farmers likely won't see benefits of Trump's $12B farmers relief (#11)

https://thegrio.com/2025/12/09/heres-why-black-farmers-likely-wont-see-benefits-of-trumps-12b-farmers-relief/

Here’s why Black farmers likely won’t see benefits of Trump’s $12B farmers relief

John Boyd, president and founder of the National Black Farmers Association, also decried the Trump White House not inviting Black farmers to Monday's roundtable.

By GERREN KEITH GAYNOR
DEC 9, 2025

…

While farmers welcome the economic relief, Black farmers, none of whom were invited to the White House’s Monday roundtable, are likely to see little of the benefits due to cultural and historical barriers.

“That’s not going to help farmers like myself, who need help now. And many Black farmers aren’t going to get this,” John Boyd, founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, told theGrio after Monday’s announcement. “This stuff is really more money for large-scale white farmers, point blank, and Black farmers ain’t gonna get a dime…it’s not targeted for us in the first place.”

Boyd, who represents 150,000 Black farmers nationwide, explained that, due to institutional barriers and cultural mistrust Black farmers have of the federal government as a result of decades of racial discrimination, most Black farmers do not report their acreage to the USDA, which is part of the requirement to receive the latest $12 billion relief.

… more …

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. The people who needs the help will not get it

From the article posted above

6. There’s no guarantee that the bailout will benefit the farmers who need the most assistance. As The New York Times reported, “One issue with payments of this kind — to any industry — is that it can be difficult for the government to match the payments to those who are actually hurt the most. Independent analyses found that the payments the Trump administration made to farmers in the first term disproportionately went to larger and wealthier farms.”

[Attilatheblond]

5. Yep, more of OUR money for already well off pretend farmers.

[CrispyQ]

2. #1 should read: Trump's trying to cover his ass for a problem he created.

It will work too. A number of farmers will still vote republican. Some journalist (Rolling Stone?) who went to farm country during the first term tariffs, interviewed farmers & they were pissed! The reporter reminded them of a dem bill that had passed during Obama's time & they all agreed it was a good bill but they also agreed they'd never vote for a dem. If we're lucky they'll stay home.

[suegeo]

3. #8. The source of the bailout is taxpayers. Our money is going to Commodity Credit Corporation

According to the following article, the money is coming from the Ag Dept's Commodity Credit Corporation. Which my tax dollars fund.
And not from tariffs, which I guess convicted felon and his gangsters are pocketing.

https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2025/12/08/repub/trump-to-send-12-billion-in-one-time-payments-to-farmers-to-offset-ag-losses/

“I’m delighted to announce this afternoon that the United States will be taking a small portion of the hundreds of billions of dollars we receive in tariffs… and we’re going to be giving and providing it to the farmers in economic assistance,” Trump said.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, though, told reporters following the event that the money came from the department’s Commodity Credit Corporation, which is funded through regular appropriations from Congress, according to a White House pool report.

I typed in a big search for the source of money for farm bailouts. It returned the propaganda/lies spewed by the convicted felon "It is coming from tariffs." This is one way the fascist bullshit lies spread.

No truth from the GOP. Will any of the republican assholes correct that bullshit narrative? Of course not.