Reuters writer Humeyra Pamuk reported yesterday that, “U.S. farmers now have until Feb. 14 to apply for federal aid designed to offset the impact of retaliatory Chinese tariffs on American crops, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday, after delays caused by the month-long government shutdown.
“The previous deadline for the aid program, officially known as the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), was Jan. 15. But a partial 35-day government shutdown that ended last Friday had delayed the application and payment processes for the aid.
“‘If you are a farmer or rancher whose commodities have been directly impacted by tariffs, you now have until February 14 to submit your application,’ USDA said in a tweet.”
The Reuters article explained that, “The Trump administration last year pledged up to $12 billion in aid to help offset some of the losses for crops hit by retaliatory Chinese tariffs imposed in response to Washington’s tariffs on Chinese goods.
“A USDA spokesperson on Monday said the department has as of Monday paid out a total of $5.94 billion to farmers in trade aid, with the top five commodities that received aid being soybeans, corn, wheat, dairy and sorghum.
“The top five states that received aid were listed as Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and Nebraska.”
