July 25, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SHORT-SIGHTED TRADE POLICY IS CRUSHING U.S. FARMERS

IATP believes the solution lies in a better farm bill, rather than subsidies

MINNEAPOLIS—In response to the Trump administration's announcement to provide $12 billion in aid to farmers affected by tariff retaliation, Juliette Majot, Executive Director at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), issued the following statement: 



"The President's short-sighted approach to trade is having dramatic consequences for U.S. farmers. It was entirely predictable that picking fights with key trade partners would lead to retaliation-with farmers caught in the crossfire. We have long criticized the so-called 'free trade agreements' of past administrations as primarily benefiting large-scale agribusiness and Wall Street over farmers. But instead of making meaningful reforms, the Trump administration has launched a crude tariff fight that is making conditions worse for many of the same farmers who were hurt under the free trade regime.



Instead of attempting to backfill losses from trade disruptions with emergency payments, the Trump administration and Congress should focus on a new farm bill designed to manage overproduction, bring fair prices to farmers in the marketplace and break the cycle of dependency on unstable export markets. Unfortunately, neither chamber's current version of the farm bill will substantially help farmers weather the unpredictable and reckless actions of our current president."

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Based in Minneapolis with offices in Washington, D.C., and Berlin, Germany, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy works locally and globally at the intersection of policy and practice to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems.