Lawmakers Eye War Funding Package for More Farm Aid

By Ryan Hanrahan

E&E News’ Meredith Lee Hill and Jennifer Scholtes reported that “Republicans are debating whether to attach wildfire aid and $15 billion in tariff relief for farmers to a military funding package President Donald Trump is expected to seek for the unfolding conflict in Iran, according to four people granted anonymity to share internal deliberations.”

“Senior congressional GOP aides caution that no decisions have been made, and House Republican leaders are particularly wary of the package growing too large,” Lee Hill and Scholtes reported. “GOP leaders have previously thwarted efforts by farm state Republicans to use unrelated government spending bills to advance billions of dollars in assistance to farmers still reeling from Trump’s tariffs, which the Supreme Court struck down last month.”

“There’s also anxiety about overstuffing the already-precarious emergency war funding package Trump is expected to submit to Congress in the coming weeks,” Lee Hill and Scholtes reported. “House GOP leaders are especially sensitive about the final price tag, which in military aid alone could be $50 billion at least.”

Agri-Pulse’s Oliver Ward, Philip Brasher, and Kim Chipman reported that “Republicans had been expected to propose $15 billion in additional assistance for farmers struggling with low crop prices and high production costs. The assistance would come on the heels of the $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance program that the Trump administration stood up in December.”

(Sen. John) Hoeven said that discussions have been centered around the $15 billion number. However, both (Senator John) Boozman and Hoeven suggested that the figure could still be modified, particularly in light of recent spikes in fertilizer prices,” Ward, Brasher and Chipman reported. “Conversations are ‘ongoing,’ Hoeven said on Monday. ‘We’ve been having conversations and there will be more.’ The North Dakota senator said though that specialty crops will likely take up a larger share than they did in the December package.”