Trump administration set to unveil $15.5 billion in coronavirus aid for farmers, sources say – By Rick Barrett (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) / April 14 2020
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend up to $15.5 billion in the initial phase of its plan to bolster the nation’s food supply against the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the news agency Reuters has reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter.
The initial plan will include direct payments to farmers and ranchers, along with other support measures, using a portion of the $23.5 billion approved by Congress to support agriculture in a coronavirus stimulus bill last month, according to the sources.
The USDA could make the announcement as early as this week, and is expected to detail later phases of the support program once more money from the stimulus bill becomes available, potentially in July, they said.
The agency declined to comment on the Reuters report.
The plan would mark the Trump administration’s first big push to ensure the pandemic doesn’t trigger consumer food shortages as meat packers shutter, dairy producers dump milk, and farmers struggle to find workers to harvest, plant and deliver crops.
Continue to article: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2020/04/14/trump-usda-unveil-15-5-billion-aid-farmers/2989623001/
