The Trump administration announced $12 billion in one-time payments to farmers on Monday, aimed mainly at growers of crops like soybeans and corn, following this year’s tariff increases. The plan was unveiled at a White House roundtable that included affected farmers and Cabinet officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Trump said the payments would come from a portion of the revenue generated by his broader tariff program and emphasized his support among farmers. “What we’re doing is we’re taking a relatively small portion of that, and we’re going to be giving and providing it to the farmers in economic assistance. And we love our farmers,” he said. “And as you know, the farmers like me, because, you know, based on, based on voting trends, you could call it voting trends or anything else, but they’re great people.”
The administration framed the move as a response to economic strains felt by core Trump constituencies as tariff impacts unfold, and as relief after difficult years for row-crop producers. The Farm Bureau says prices for row crops such as corn and soybeans have fallen in recent years while input costs have risen; tariffs have further increased costs for machinery and fertilizer.
The White House named the initiative the Farm Bridge Assistance program, saying it is intended to help farmers until Trump’s economic measures—such as lower taxes and the tariffs themselves—have greater effect. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the announcement reflects the president’s commitment to “helping our farmers, who will have the support they need to bridge the gap between Biden’s failures and the President’s successful policies taking effect.”
Funding for the payments will come from the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation, the same authority Trump tapped for farmer aid during his first term.
In discussing the program, Trump linked it to his broader efforts to address high prices and dismissed Democrats’ focus on affordability. “They have a tendency to just say, ‘This election’s based on affordability,’ and no one questions them,” he said. “Nobody says, ‘oh well, what do you mean by that?’ They just say the word. They never say anything else because they caused the problem. But we’re fixing the problem.”
Trump also said he would lift environmental regulations on large farm machinery, such as tractors, to try to lower equipment costs. Manufacturers, however, have warned that tariffs themselves have increased expenses; John Deere estimated earlier this year that tariffs could cost it about $600 million in 2025.