What does everyone think about the $12 billion in aid that will be going to farmers hurt by the tariffs?
I’m against that. First, since trade wars are good and easy to win, the farmers shouldn’t need any help. Second, that’s $12 billion that could be used elsewhere – pay down debt, education, student loan relief, health care. Third, it’s such a transparent ploy to help his supporters.
When is Trump going to understand that he represents the whole country, not just his voters? (Answer, of course, is never – he really only represents himself anyway)
I meant to also mention that farmers already get tons of aid, $20 billion according to this cite. (I don’t know how reliable that cite is, it was the first Google hit) So, this would be a substantial increase in aid to those farmers.
I know they are (mostly) men of the land, who live independent lives and never need no welfare or anything, but I wish they would start pulling themselves up here.
I also see a typo in the title. I’ll report my post. In my defense, I have 102 fever (Fahrenheit, thankfully).
I’m pretty confident this $12 billion is either something that would have happened anyway (general aid to farmers being rebranded as trade war relief) or its something that Congress has to approve, which probably isn’t going to happen. I just can’t see Congress right now going on record to support Trump’s trade war and making it easier to fight: all the other industries being impacted will want their slice of help, and as a result, nobody will get anything.
How long ago was it that the “fiscal conservatives” were belly-aching and dooming-and-glooming over the National Debt when it went up during Obama’s term, but now they are silent.
The CCC has been paying out $10-20 billion per year for the last decade or so. I’m saying that it is entirely possible that the same $10-20 billion will be paid out, but rebranded as “#MAGAChinaSux” or something, or Congress is asked for something that won’t happen.
If CCC assistance goes up to ~$25-30 billion, then I will have to eat crow.
I don’t assume that Trump has made any kind of assessment regarding how much damage he’s done. If the number is indicative of anything at all it’s based on what he thinks he can get away with - or, alternatively it’s the number that was already slated to be given to them, and all he’s doing now is taking undeserved credit for it.
The article seems to indicate that you’re exactly right. The money is coming from the Commodity Credit Corporation and does not authorize any new funds. Thus, Congress does not need to approve.
