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Trump administration farmer bailouts are a series of United States bailout programs introduced during the first presidency of Donald Trump as a consequence of his "America First" economic policy to help US farmers suffering due to the US-China trade war and trade disputes with European Union, Japan, Canada, Mexico, and others. China and respectively European reconcilable tariffs imposed on peanut butter, soybeans, orange juice, and other agriculture products had hit hard, especially swing states, such as Iowa, Ohio, and Wisconsin. [1]
The Donald Trump administration prioritized unilateral trade in the attempts to alleviate the U.S. from unethical trade practices by China. [2] The Trump Administration pushed for strict protectionist policies in the form of raised tariffs and restructuring existing trade deals. The U.S. left NAFTA and the USMCA was created using U.S. protectionist policy. [3] In 2018, the Donald Trump administration introduced an updated set of increased tariffs on foreign goods targeted mainly on China, but later expanding to tariffs on European, Japanese, Canadian, and Mexican products as well. [4] In the new economic trade war, US farmers lost access to import markets in China, which represented the second largest market for US agriculture export in 2017. [5] The Trump Administration initiated the trade war with China when it imposed tariffs on solar cells and large residential washers in 2017. [6] After retaliatory tariffs hit the U.S., the Trump Administration imposed tariffs on steel, aluminum, and auto parts. [7] Retaliatory tariffs by China targeted U.S. agriculture, specifically soybeans, which required the United States government to aid domestic farmers. To improve trade competitiveness, the Trump administration revealed a plan to help US farmers in the form of state aid., [8] with a planned bailout program of $12 billion state aid to US farmers suffering from the US-China trade war. In 2018 Trump administration introduced $16 billion (~$19.1 billion in 2023) of new trade aid. [9] [10] In 2019, the Donald Trump administration increased the bailout to $16 billion (~$18.8 billion in 2023). [11]
US farmers who earned less than $900,000 a year and produced one of the agriculture products suffering from the US-China trade war, can apply for the state's program. The bailout program had several problems, such as abusing the program and delays in payment to the farmers. Donald Trump stated that US-China trade war could last indefinitely despite problems among US farmers. The bailout's limit of support for a single farmer is $125,000 per person or legal entity. US citizens owning partial shares of a land but not profiting directly from farming could apply for state aid as well. Farmers can apply if they completed the harvest leading to farmers having to wait to complete their crops, making their situation much more uncertain. [12] [13]
In North Dakota, public health officials reported a rising number of suicide caused by unpredictable financial conditions amongst, especially young farmers. [14] [15] [16]
The US government obliged to buy $1.4 billion of products as well and place these products to food banks or programs for schools. Another part of the bailout is a $100 million program to find new markets for US Farmers. [12]
In 1979, US President Jimmy Carter issued an embargo on the export of wheat to the Soviet Union as a response to the Soviet–Afghan War. But the embargo did not bring any positive effect to the USA. The Soviet Union eluded the embargo by increasing its domestic wheat production and importing from other countries. The Reagan administration lifted the embargo in 1981, but US farmers suffered financially, leading the US government to introduce bailout programs to the dairy industry. Bailouts helped the dairy industry to increase production however the US government had to buy all oversupply. Later the Reagan administration spent $100 million annually to store and transport all dairy oversupply worth $3 billion from the previous administration. [17] [12]
The United States Department of Agriculture has distributed up to $12 billion in financial aid to agricultural producers most affected by China's retaliatory tariffs. The USDA's aid came in the form of direct cash payments to producers of corn, cotton, soybeans, sorghum, wheat, dairy, and certain meat products. [18] Soybean producers received more payments than any other agricultural producers because of the devastating impact on U.S. soybean exports. Soybean producers received $7.3 billion in payments from the USDA. [18] Since farmers' exports comprise 20% of income, the USDA found it necessary to compensate agricultural producers in response to the decrease in exports.
Bank sectors serving US farmers reported an increase in late payments. According to the Federal Bank of Minneapolis, the share of bankruptcies had risen by 30%. US farmers' profit decreased by 11% since 2010.
US farmers lost access to the critical Chinese market due to US-China trade war. Chinese import of soybean is worth 110 million tons of soybeans in 2017, and it is mainly used to feed animals. Chinese demand for soybean caused massive growth of US soybean production. In the 1990s, soybeans consist of 450,000 acres of land, and by 2017 the amount rose to 6.4 million. Annual export was worth $26 billion (~$31.8 billion in 2023) annually before 2017.US farmers contributed to funding an organization dedicated to research about the prosperity of US soybeans in China. [14] The export of soybean to China fell by 94% in 2017. [19] China increased tariffs on U.S. soybeans to 27%, causing issues as China was the largest importer of American soybeans in 2017. From January to October in 2018, U.S. soybean exports were 63% lower than in the same months of 2017, [7] eventually stopping by November 2018. [20]
China had been one of the leading importers of US agricultural products. [21] In 2017 China imported goods worth $19.1 billion, but due to tariffs imposed by China on agriculture products the number of imported goods fell to $9.1 billion. China purchased 14.3 million tonnes of US soybean, which is the lowest number in 11 years. Before US-China trade war, China imported 32.9 million tonnes of US soybean. An outbreak of African Swine Fever in eastern Asia starting in 2018 led to a lower production of pork products [22] creating substantial import demand, however 62% retaliatory tariffs greatly limited sales from the United States. [1] China, as a member of BRICS, was able to replace US imports with pork imports from other countries, such as Brazil. China-Brazil bilateral trade rose in 2018 to a record $100 billion (~$120 billion in 2023). [23]
Chinese import tariffs on agriculture products [24] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Products | Tariff | ||
Fresh fruit, dried fruit and nut products | 15% | ||
Wine | 15% | ||
Ginseng | 15% | ||
Pork products | 25% | ||
Soybean [25] | 25% | ||
The Canadian tariffs have been historically limited by quotas, which ensures price stability and farmers' income stability. Canada imposed high tariffs on dairy products. But dairy product trade business between Canada and the USA is just a small fraction of total trade. The entire trade exchange of goods between the USA and Canada is $620 billion, and the dairy sector consists of only $750 million. Donald Trump wanted to renegotiate these terms as part of renegotiating NAFTA agreement, but Canadian farmers are afraid that this new deal will cost them a lot of money. [26] [27]
Canadian import tariffs on agriculture products [27] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Products | Tariffs | ||
Milk | 270% | ||
Cheese | 245% | ||
Butter | 298% | ||
American import tariffs on agriculture products [27] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Products | Tariffs | ||
Tobacco | 350% | ||
Groundnuts | 163.8% | ||
Shelled peanuts and oilseeds | 131.8 % | ||
During negotiating Trans-Pacific Partnership, New Zealand blocked Canada access due to high tariffs on agriculture products, so Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper decided to scrap the tariffs in exchange for Trans-Pacific Partnership accession. But when the USA withdrew from Trans-Pacific Partnership, Canada withdrew as well. But Canada has recently signed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the European Union, which allows Canadian farmers access without tariffs to the entire European market. [28] [29]
As part of his "America First" Trump targeted the European Union as well. European Union responded with its list of tariffs, which risked escalating into another trade war, howeverJean-Claude Juncker and Donald Trump agreed to stop escalating. [30] [31]
European Tariffs on agriculture products [32] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Products | Tariff | ||
Sweetcorn | 25% | ||
Beans | 25% | ||
Rice | 25% | ||
Peanut butter | 25% | ||
Orange and Cranberry Juice | 25% | ||
Tobacco | 25% | ||
With the US-China trade war, renegotiating of NAFTA, and US-European trade relationships, the US looked to Japan for new markets for agriculture products. In 2019 Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe agreed to a trade deal between Japan and the US that would open up markets to an additional $7 billion (~$8.23 billion in 2023) of products, the deal involved Japan buying excess US corn after Japanese crops were damaged by insect pests. [33]
Due to Brexit the United Kingdom would no longer have free European trade, possibly to a new market for US food imports. The Trump administration looked to open up trade deals with the UK, however differences in agricultural practices posed challenges to possible deals. [34]
The North American Free Trade Agreement was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994, and superseded the 1988 Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement between the United States and Canada. The NAFTA trade bloc formed one of the largest trade blocs in the world by gross domestic product.
The Tariff Act of 1930, commonly known as the Smoot–Hawley Tariff or Hawley–Smoot Tariff, was a law that implemented protectionist trade policies in the United States. Sponsored by Senator Reed Smoot and Representative Willis C. Hawley, it was signed by President Herbert Hoover on June 17, 1930. The act raised US tariffs on over 20,000 imported goods.
A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and policy that taxes foreign products to encourage or safeguard domestic industry. Protective tariffs are among the most widely used instruments of protectionism, along with import quotas and export quotas and other non-tariff barriers to trade.
An agricultural subsidy is a government incentive paid to agribusinesses, agricultural organizations and farms to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural commodities, and influence the cost and supply of such commodities.
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A trade war is an economic conflict often resulting from extreme protectionism in which states raise or create tariffs or other trade barriers against each other in response to trade barriers created by the other party. If tariffs are the exclusive mechanism, then such conflicts are known as customs wars, toll wars, or tariff wars; as a reprisal, the latter state may also increase the tariffs. Trade war arises only if the competitive protection between states is of the same type and it is not valid in case of dumping exports. Increased protection causes both nations' output compositions to move towards their autarky position. Minor trade disagreements are often called trade disputes when the war metaphor is hyperbolic.
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The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is a wholly owned United States government corporation that was created in 1933 to "stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices". The CCC is authorized to buy, sell, lend, make payments, and engage in other activities for the purpose of increasing production, stabilizing prices, assuring adequate supplies, and facilitating the efficient marketing of agricultural commodities.
Tariffs have historically served a key role in the trade policy of the United States. Their purpose was to generate revenue for the federal government and to allow for import substitution industrialization by acting as a protective barrier around infant industries. They also aimed to reduce the trade deficit and the pressure of foreign competition. Tariffs were one of the pillars of the American System that allowed the rapid development and industrialization of the United States.
The United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA) is a bilateral free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia. Sometimes called the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, it was signed on November 22, 2006, by Deputy U.S. Trade Representative John Veroneau and Colombian Minister of Trade, Industry, and Tourism Jorge Humberto Botero. CTPA is a comprehensive agreement that will eliminate tariffs and other barriers to trade in goods and services between the United States and Colombia, including government procurement, investment, telecommunications, electronics commerce, intellectual property rights, and labor and environmental protection The United States Congress. Colombia's Congress approved the agreement and a protocol of amendment in 2007. Colombia's Constitutional Court completed its review in July 2008, and concluded that the Agreement conforms to Colombia's Constitution. President Obama tasked the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative with seeking a path to address outstanding issues surrounding the Colombia FTA. The United States Congress then took on the agreement and passed it on October 12, 2011. The agreement went into effect on May 15, 2012.
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The trade relationship of the United States with Canada is the largest in the world. In 2023, the goods and services trade between the two countries totalled $923 billion. U.S. exports were $441 billion, while imports were $482 billion, for a United States $41 billion trade deficit with Canada. Canada has historically held a trade deficit with the United States in every year since 1985 in net trade of goods, excluding services. The trade relationship between the two countries crosses all industries and is vitally important to both nations' success as each country is one of the largest trade partners of the other.
Foreign trade of the United States comprises the international imports and exports of the United States. The country is among the top three global importers and exporters.
Protectionism in the United States is protectionist economic policy that erects tariffs and other barriers on imported goods. This policy was most prevalent in the 19th century. At that time, it was mainly used to protect Northern industries and was opposed by Southern states that wanted free trade to expand cotton and other agricultural exports. Protectionist measures included tariffs and quotas on imported goods, along with subsidies and other means, to restrain the free movement of imported goods, thus encouraging local industry.
Canada's supply management, abbreviated SM, is a national agricultural policy framework used across the country, which controls the supply of dairy, poultry and eggs through production and import controls and pricing mechanisms. The supply management system was authorized by the 1972 Farm Products Agencies Act, which established the two national agencies that oversee the system. The Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada federal department is responsible for both the Canadian Dairy Commission and its analogue for eggs, chicken and turkey products, the Farm Products Council of Canada. Five national supply management organizations, the SM-5 Organizations — Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC), Turkey Farmers of Canada (TFC), Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC), the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers (CHEP) and the Ottawa-based Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC), a Crown corporation — in collaboration with provincial and national governing agencies, organizations and committees, administer the supply management system.
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The Trump tariffs were protectionist trade initiatives during the first Trump administration against Chinese imports. During the first presidency of Donald Trump, a series of tariffs were imposed on China as part of his "America First" economic policy to reduce the United States trade deficit by shifting American trade policy from multilateral free trade agreements to bilateral trade deals. In January 2018, Trump imposed tariffs on solar panels and washing machines of 30–50%. In March 2018, he imposed tariffs on steel (25%) and aluminum (10%) from most countries, which, according to Morgan Stanley, covered an estimated 4.1% of U.S. imports. In June 2018, this was extended to the European Union, Canada, and Mexico. The Trump administration separately set and escalated tariffs on goods imported from China, leading to a trade war.
An economic conflict between China and the United States has been ongoing since January 2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump began setting tariffs and other trade barriers on China with the goal of forcing it to make changes to what the U.S. says are longstanding unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft. The first Trump administration stated that these practices may contribute to the U.S.–China trade deficit, and that the Chinese government requires transfer of American technology to China. In response to US trade measures, the Chinese government accused the Trump administration of engaging in nationalist protectionism and took retaliatory action. After the trade war escalated through 2019, in January 2020 the two sides reached a tense phase-one agreement. By the end of the Trump's first presidency, the trade war was widely characterized as a failure for the United States.
Economic sanctions are defined as financial penalties imposed on a nation, country or self-governing state by an individual or a group of nations in order to harm and disrupt the economy of the target nation. This effect can be accomplished by imposing tariffs, quotas, subsidies, restrictions on financial transactions and much more.
An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act , Bill C-282, exempts the supply-managed farm sectors from future trade negotiations.