Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue Unveils $12B Bailout Of US Farmers Due To China’s “Illegal Retaliatory Tariffs”

The Hill reports:

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday announced it would offer $12 billion in aid to farmers hindered by retaliatory tariffs imposed on U.S. grain, produce and meat exports as the Trump administration digs in for a protracted trade battle.

The department will use the emergency aid to assist and buy crops from farmers who’ve lost billions of dollars in sales from foreign buyers in the European Union, Canada, Mexico and China. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the assistance plan was “a short-term solution to allow President Trump time to work on long-term trade deals to benefit agriculture and the entire U.S. economy.”

“America’s hard-working agricultural producers have been treated unfairly by China’s illegal trading practices and have taken a disproportionate hit when it comes illegal retaliatory tariffs,” Perdue said in a statement.

RELATED: Sonny Perdue was elected Georgia governor in 2002 after promising a referendum to reinstate the Confederate battle cross as the state flag. In 2007 he gained national headlines when he held a public prayer vigil for rain.