Trump Considers $10 Billion Bailout for Farmers as Tariffs Disrupt the Market
How tariffs are shaking up the U.S. agricultural economy—what students should know.
Note: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
Teacher's note: For the sake of time, you may want to watch just the first 2m:50s of the video.
President Donald Trump is said to be preparing a bailout package of at least $10 billion that could provide relief to farmers facing the financial pain of tariffs on China. To discuss what this means for farmers and for the heartland, Liz Landers spoke with Aaron Lehman. He is the President of the Iowa Farmers Union, representing growers in the second-largest soybean-producing state in the country.
View the transcript of the story.
Discussion Questions
- How much is the potential farm bailout bill?
- What has been the economic impact of tariffs on farmers, according to farmers Chris Gibbs and Tyler Stafslien?
- Where do American farmers ship 50% of their soybeans?
- Who are different groups of people affected by the tariffs, in addition to farmers, according to Aaron Lehman?
- Why do farmers need a bailout from the federal government, according to Lehman?
Focus Questions
- Do you think it is a good idea for the federal government to bailout farmers? Explain.
- Do you think it is fair that the government bail out farmers when other groups of Americans are not receiving support during difficult economic times? Explain.
- Media literacy: Besides the two farmers and the president of the Iowa Farmers Union, who else would you like to hear from in this story?
Extension Activity
- Conduct some additional research on the federal government bail out of farmers in 2020:
- Aaron Lehman said of the federal government bailout of farmers in 2020: "We also know that when aid packages were rolled out five years ago, many farmers who were in need at that time didn't receive any of the aid package. And some of the largest multinational corporations in the world receive the largest payments. And that doesn't make sense. And it only causes more divisions between our farming operations."
- You may want to start with this NPR piece, What happened to U.S. farmers during the last trade war.
- Read the 2024 Politico article Did Trump or Biden deliver more for farmers? The answer may surprise you.
- Learn more about the impacts of tariffs under the current Trump administration using the Financial Times' Tariff Tracker. If you teach 16-19-year-old students, you can sign up for a free Financial Times account via FT Schools.
- You may also want to check out this News Hour piece, Hardworking Virginia family struggles to achieve American dream:
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Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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