# $12 Billion in Aid Going to Farmers **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 24, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515 "2018-07-24T17:48:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/1 "2018-07-24T17:48:22Z")
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) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/2 "2018-07-24T17:49:53Z")
What are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/3 "2018-07-24T17:51:08Z")
Sorry, hit submit too soon. It’s better fleshed out now. Here’s a link: > **[To Ease Pain of Trump’s Trade War: $12 Billion in Aid for Farmers (Published...](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/us/politics/farmers-aid-trade-war.html)** > > The move drew swift condemnation from many farm groups and lawmakers, including several Republicans, and signaled that the president is digging in on his tariffs. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/4 "2018-07-24T17:58:03Z")
I meant to also mention that farmers already get tons of aid, $20 billion according to this [cite](https://www.downsizinggovernment.org/agriculture/subsidies). (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). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/5 "2018-07-24T17:58:04Z")
Ok now I see. Sure, great idea, we’ll borrow the money from China. That’ll show them. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/6 "2018-07-24T18:00:21Z")
I wish those Chinese would pay off my student loan debt. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/7 "2018-07-24T18:02:30Z")
No no, Mexico is going to pay for it. 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. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/8 "2018-07-24T18:11:41Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > No no, Mexico is going to pay for it. > > 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. Well, no, it is going to happen. The administration is drawing on some emergency fund. Thank you, **Bone** , for fixing the title. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/9 "2018-07-24T18:14:20Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Third, it’s such a transparent ploy to help his supporters. ^ This. How long ago was it that the “fiscal conservatives” were belly-aching and dooming-and-glooming over the [National Debt](https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/government-debt) when it went up during Obama’s term, but now they are silent. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/10 "2018-07-24T18:20:50Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Well, no, it is going to happen. The administration is drawing on some emergency fund. > > Thank you, **Bone** , for fixing the title. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/11 "2018-07-24T18:23:07Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > ^ This. > > How long ago was it that the “fiscal conservatives” were belly-aching and dooming-and-glooming over the [National Debt](https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/government-debt) when it went up during Obama’s term, but now they are silent. Welcome to the last 35 years of Republican politics. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/12 "2018-07-24T18:40:08Z")
How can anyone not see this as Trump admitting that the trade war is costing American farmers $12 billion? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/13 "2018-07-24T18:52:31Z")
Well, I wouldn’t _not_ see that, but that doesn’t mean than I would. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/14 "2018-07-24T19:05:53Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > How can anyone not see this as Trump admitting that the trade war is costing American farmers $12 billion? 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. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/15 "2018-07-24T19:17:08Z")
So the farmers of America are going to be a bunch of welfare bums - moochers and takers, huh? Oh, that’s right - they’re overwhelmingly white. Well now, that’s different. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/16 "2018-07-24T19:18:27Z")
I never want to hear another Republican grouse about welfare spending. Actually I didn’t want to anyway. Now I don’t want to hear it even more. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/17 "2018-07-24T19:39:32Z")
Red State farmers dependent on government handouts are much more dependable clients that farmers who make their own living. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/18 "2018-07-24T20:01:14Z")
Until we know how Cargill, Monsanto, General Foods weigh in on this, we won’t really know how this will impact the small family farmer. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/19 "2018-07-24T20:36:18Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515/20 "2018-07-25T00:14:52Z")
Even Trump supporting farmers in my neck of the woods “oppose” this. I put that in quotes, because if you take the money, did you really oppose it? > **['Using grain as a weapon has never worked': Will County farmer wary about...](https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-slowik-chinese-tariffs-soybeans-st-0722-story.html)** > > Manhattan soybean farmer John Kiefner is among those concerned about the potential effects of tariffs and the growing trade war. But yeah, Trump is a fucking genius, and trade wars are easy. Fuckstick. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-billion-in-aid-going-to-farmers/818515.md?page=2)