By Evie Fordham FOXBusiness
Excess meat, dairy, produce will be purchased to be distributed to non-profits, food banks.
President Trump touted $16 billion in direct payments to farmers and ranchers struggling because of challenges like the loss of restuarant business caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“The American farmer is the backbone of our country. … There’s no president that’s treated the farmers like Trump,” the president said at the White House on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event on the food supply chain during the coronavirus pandemic, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, May 19, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Farmers can sign up starting May 26 and payments will start being issued within one week of receiving applications, Trump said.
On Friday, the administration celebrated the launch of the Farmers to Families Food Box program, which will buy up to $3 billion in fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat to distribute to food banks and nonprofits.
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump, speaks during an event on the food supply chain and the coronavirus pandemic, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, May 19, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Farmers welcomed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent approval of $1.2 billion in contracts for the program earlier in May. Trump said Tuesday the program was up to 198 contracts.
The focus on farmers comes after coronavirus outbreaks at meat processing facilities sparked fears of a meat shortage and efforts to curb panic buying at supermarkets. Commodity farmers who were expecting a much brighter 2020 economy are hurting because of gaps in the supply chain. For example, the National Pork Producers Council says U.S. pork farmers may be forced to euthanize as many as 10 million hogs by September because of the processing bottleneck.
From left, Coastal Sunbelt Produce CEO John Corso, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Ivanka Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump, tour Coastal Sunbelt Produce, Friday, May 15, 2020, in Laurel, Md. (AP Photo/An
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall praised the Farmers to Families Food Box program earlier in May.
“We applaud the USDA for its quick action and flexibility in finding a way to get food from America’s farms to the dinner tables of those who need it most,” Duvall said in a statement. “These food purchases will help the hungry while providing income to farmers and ranchers who have seen some markets for their food disappear during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The program is part of the $19 billion coronavirus farmer’s assistance program, which was included in the administration’s $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
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TRUMP SAYS CORONAVIRUS RELIEF EXECUTIVE ORDER COULD COME BY THE END OF THE WEEK 'IF DEMOCRATS CONTINUE TO HOLD RELIEF HOSTAGE' “The president is taking action to provide relief to unemployed Americans, among other actions to provide relief," a senior administration official told Fox News Saturday. Acting unilaterally has its limits and could prompt legal challenges. Trump's orders are narrower in scope than the trillions of dollars Congress is mulling for a massive stimulus to the virus-damaged economy. Congress controls new federal spending and Trump already predicted sidestepping lawmakers will have consequences. “We’ll see, yeah, probably we’ll get sued," Trump told reporters Friday. House Democrats already passed their $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill in May. The Senate GOP last month proposed a $1 trillion plan, though didn't bring the measure to a vote as Republicans were divided on whether more aid is even needed. placeholder DESPITE POLLS AND PANDEMIC, TRUMP CAMPAIGN ARGUES CANDIDATE BETTER POSITIONED THAN IN 2016 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer have been in talks all week with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, but the two sides couldn't strike a deal. Democrats blamed the GOP for failing to understand the gravity of the crisis and for trying to "nickel and dime" struggling Americans, while the White House accused Democrats of not willing to compromise. Trump's actions aren't expected to address some of the big issues that Congressional proposals sought to tackle, including another round of $1,200 stimulus checks, aid to schools to reopen safely, an infusion of cash to revenue-strapped state and local governments, food assistance, new lawsuit protections for businesses and money for mail-in voting for the 2020 elections. Because of provisions in the Constitution that grant the legislative branch spending power, the White House can't just pull hundreds of billions out of the ether without Congressional approval. 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"A better way to do this is [to] come to an agreement that meets the needs of the American people -- a much better way," Schumer said. The need for relief is pressing as millions of Americans lost out on the $600-per-week federal unemployment benefit that expired at the end of July. A partial moratorium on evictions on properties with government-backed mortgages also expired at the end of last month. placeholder There are some 110 million Americans living in rental households; up to 23 million renters – or 20 percent – are at risk of eviction by Sept. 30, according to an analysis by the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project. With the supplemental $600 in unemployment benefits now officially lapsed, about 24 million Americans say they have little to no chance of being able to pay next month's rent, according to a survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. 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