Wisconsin Representative Ron Kind fired off a letter to Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue demanding more information after the Secretary and the President brought up the possibility of more trade aid for farmers.
Perdue had recently told farmers “not to anticipate” more aid in 2020, but Kind points out that the purchases promised in the trade deal with China have not materialized yet.
The president says the trade aid would be paid for by tariffs the Administration has slapped on imported goods.
However, Kind says that’s a tax actually paid for by working families.
Because the purchases outlined in the Phase One trade deal haven’t happened yet, the Wisconsin Representative is pushing for a clear plan from the Ag Department on how they will enforce China’s commitments and ensure farmers “see the proof” of these purchases as promised.
“Farmers in Wisconsin have been forced to bear the burden of this Administration’s trade war for nearly two years,” Kind says in the letter. “This deal was supposed to bring them some much-needed relief but instead, the secretary and the president continue to create more uncertainty.”
Kind says he’s consistently expressed concerns that the agreement wasn’t fully binding like a more traditional trade agreement.
