The United States has provided $12 billion in assistance to farmers affected by tariff policies

The US government has launched a $12 billion aid package for farmers to counter the "backlash" of US tariff policies on American agriculture.

Reuters reported that Trump announced the plan during a roundtable meeting with Treasury Secretary Bessent, Agriculture Secretary Rollins and members of Congress on Monday (December 8). He said that the funds for the aid package would come from tariff revenues.

A White House official said that corn, cotton, sorghum, soybean, rice, wheat, potato growers and cattle breeders also attended the roundtable meeting.

This is the latest move by the Trump administration to consolidate a key vote base. In April this year, Trump introduced a large-scale reciprocal tariff policy, which disrupted the global trade order and also blocked the US export market. The prices of agricultural products such as soybeans and corn in the United States are low. Coupled with the rising costs of fertilizers and agricultural machinery, it is difficult for American farms to make profits, and many farmers are in a difficult situation.

Agricultural groups and Republican state agricultural lawmakers are seeking government assistance for farmers, partly because they hope to help farmers purchase seeds, fertilizers and cover other expenses for next year's planting season.

Despite the fact that American farmers have suffered sales losses of billions of dollars due to Trump's trade war with China, they still firmly support Trump to a large extent.

Trump said, "The aid package will provide certainty for farmers, helping them bring this year's harvest to market and prepare for next year's planting." And this also helps them strive to lower food prices for American families.

Rollins said that 11 billion US dollars of it would be used to support farmers of field crops and would be distributed before February 28. The remaining $1 billion will be reserved for fruit, vegetable and other farmers, with details yet to be finalized.

Bessent called these grants "liquidity Bridges during the adjustment period", with the aim of providing support to farmers until they see benefits from the Trump administration's trade agreements and other policies.

Chief Democratic Senator Klobuchar of the US Senate Agriculture Committee issued a statement saying that Trump's trade policies have harmed the interests of farmers. She said, "The simplest way to make farmers more secure is for the president to lift tariffs."

Previously, it was widely expected that the Trump administration would announce an agricultural rescue plan totaling 15 billion US dollars in October.