TRUMP says $12 billion bailout plan for farmers will come from tariff revenue

Tuesday, December 9, 2025 -President Trump has unveiled a $12 billion aid package aimed at helping American farmers who have borne the brunt of trade disruptions and rising costs under his tariff-heavy trade policies. 

Speaking at a White House roundtable attended by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Trump said the funds would come from “a small portion of the hundreds of billions of dollars we receive in tariffs.”

Under the plan, roughly $11 billion is allocated to what the administration calls the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, targeted at row-crop producers — including soybeans, corn, cotton, wheat, rice and sorghum. The remaining $1 billion is earmarked for specialty crops, with payments scheduled to begin by February 28, 2026.

But the bailout has already stirred controversy. While Trump frames the aid as using tariff proceeds to help those hurt by tariffs, critics point out that the actual disbursements will be drawn from a separate fund managed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), not a direct “tariff-revenue account.” 

Some analysts warn that this makes the move more akin to traditional taxpayer-backed subsidies than a tariff-financed repayment — undercutting the argument that the bailout is a direct refund of tariff burdens.