Trump announces $12 billion bailout for farmers hurt by tariffs, including NW wheat growers

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Monday announced that his administration would spend $12 billion to bail out U.S. farmers who have suffered the fallout from tariffs, including wheat growers in the Northwest.

In remarks during a roundtable discussion with farmers and administration officials at the White House, the president blamed his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, for mismanaging the inflation that has raised the cost of essential equipment and supplies. Trump’s signature economic policy, taxing imports from other countries, has further increased those input costs and prompted the United States’ trading partners to increase their own import duties in retaliation.

“We’re once again in a position where a president is able to put farmers first,” Trump said, reading from prepared remarks before ad-libbing, “Unfortunately, I’m the only president that does that.”

Many Northwest farmers rely on foreign markets to sell commodity crops such as wheat and potatoes. Roughly 90% of wheat grown in Washington state is exported, mainly to countries in Asia, according to data from the Washington Grain Commission.

“Given the current economic situation facing farmers, we are thankful for this temporary economic relief to try to get producers into the 2026 cropping year,” Andy Juris, who grows wheat in Klickitat County, said in an emailed statement. “However, as we continue to see continuously increasing input costs, we urge the administration to continue to examine the companies and individuals behind the cost increases that are destroying family farms and rural communities.”

Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, referred questions to Juris, a past president of the organization.

Although Trump said during the White House event that the bailout would be funded by tariff revenue, the $12 billion instead will come from a U.S. Department of Agriculture emergency fund that uses taxpayer dollars. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said an application for the funds will open in the coming weeks and farmers will start receiving the money by the end of February.

Not every crop affected by the trade war is sure to receive money through the program. Of the $12 billion total, the White House said $11 billion is reserved for a handful of the country’s biggest crops – including wheat, corn and soybeans – while the remaining $1 billion will be split among growers of fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops.

In a joint statement, an alliance of groups representing specialty crop growers said they were disappointed that farmers of specialty crops – which include other major Northwest exports such as tree fruit and potatoes – were not included in Monday’s announcement, even as they “continue to face unprecedented economic challenges.”

Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council and a co-chair of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, said in an interview that, like growers of other specialty crops, potato farmers “are facing an unprecedented economic crisis,” partly due to trade policies.

“Anybody who’s not part of the $11 billion will have to go in and make their case and seek a share of that $1 billion,” Quarles said. “But there are no guarantees, so if you’re not one of those listed program crops, there’s no relief.”

Quarles said that for just one variety, russet potatoes, growers are facing an estimated loss of nearly $500 million this year.

“The need for relief is there,” he said. “We respect that the administration has limited resources, so our intention is to work with Congress on a larger package which hopefully will cover the need for potatoes as well as other specialty crops.”

Both Republicans and Democrats who represent the Northwest in Congress acknowledged the challenges facing farmers while suggesting that Monday’s announcement doesn’t fully solve the problems exacerbated by Trump’s tariff regime.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Sunnyside, said he appreciates Trump and Rollins “rolling out a bridge to get farmers and ranchers through lean times,” but he added that “producers would prefer market certainty over direct payments from the federal government.”

“Farmers across the United States, including in Central Washington, are reaching a breaking point because of supply chain issues, high input costs, and uncertainty around foreign market access,” Newhouse said in a statement. “While this announcement primarily benefits row crop producers, other specialty crop growers will need additional assistance as they struggle to make ends meet due to continued high labor costs.”

Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, emphasized that taxing international trade has ripple effects throughout the state’s highly trade-dependent economy.

“Washington state produces amazing agricultural products that the whole world wants to buy, but Trump’s tariff chaos is sabotaging decades of hard work winning overseas shelf space,” she said in a statement. “Washington farmers don’t want a meager bailout, they want to be able to export their goods across the globe. Trump’s trade wars also risk hurting Washington ports that ship almost $20 billion worth of U.S. agricultural exports per year. Plus, Trump’s tariffs continue to harm American consumers, manufacturers, and small businesses, who keep paying the costs without relief.”

In a call with reporters on Monday, Rep. Michael Baumgartner, a Republican who represents Eastern Washington, said he was “pleased” to see Trump announce the bailout. The congressman said he generally opposes tariffs but sees trade with China as an exception, because of national security concerns.

“I’m not, in general, not a fan of tariffs,” he said. “Now, China’s a separate situation, because there’s a real geopolitical strategy there, but I’ll continue to advocate for our farmers in Eastern Washington, to make sure they have the market access they need.”

The U.S. government already subsidizes farmers on an ongoing basis, with an average of more than $32 billion a year sent to farmers each year between 2019 and 2023, according to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office. Republicans included another $66 billion over 10 years in federal funding for farmers in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the signature tax-and-spending law they passed in July.