On Tuesday, July 24, 2018, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos responded to the Trump Administration’s $12 billion proposal for Federal Agricultural Programs, to deal with the ongoing damage from the President’s rapidly-escalating trade war. Bustos, a member of the House Agriculture Committee and the only Midwesterner in Democratic Elected House Leadership, issued the following statement. “Hardworking farmers across the heartland don’t want a Government handout. They want the President to stop undermining their business with his trade war.”
“While I’m glad to see at least some effort to reduce the damage of President Trump’s trade war on our agricultural producers, for the President to claim credit for this, is kind of like a Boy Scout saying he deserves a Fire Safety Merit Badge, for throwing a cup of water on a fire he lit.”
“When I talk to soybean farmers, corn growers, and pork producers across my District, they’re asking for a coherent and strategic trade policy, that creates new export opportunities. During the last campaign, President Trump stood at the podium and said he’d ‘end this war on the American farmer.’ That’s the exact opposite of what he’s actually doing.”