It would assist farmers with part of the money being used to bail out Argentina.
6th District Representative . April McClain Delaney
Washington DC (KM) 6th District Representative April McClain Delaney is sponsoring a bill to support American farmers who are facing losses due to tariffs and other issues.
The Congresswoman is a member of the House Agriculture Committee, and she has spoken to farmers in her district. “They have inflationary pressures. They’ve got overseas markets that have been evaporated by tariffs. They’ve have labor force issues related to immigration,” she says.
McClain Delaney’s bill, called the American Farmers First Act, would take part of the $40 billion set aside to bail out Argentina to help farmers. “We’re sending $40 billion to Argentina. And our Washington County beef producers are having hard time. Our soybean farmers can’t sell their soybeans. We should instead use half of that—-$20 billion which comes from taxpayer money—–and give it to farmers,” she says.
She says that money could be used to prop up farmers who are having difficulties. “They have increased costs of labor, and their overseas markets have been cut off or non-existent due to these crazy tariffs,” says Representative McClain Delaney
And, she says the situation has gotten worse for some farmers. “All of these things coming together have forced a 57 percent increase in bankruptcies this year compared to last,” says McClain Delaney.
McClain Delaney says the bill has a good chance of passage. “It’s a getting a lot of support. And I’ll tell, a lot of farmers at thumb-upping it and saying ‘thank you for standing for us.’ And I think all of the farming associations, soybean associations, are saying ‘we’re good.’ I think there is momentum,”: she says.,
“It doesn’t matter if you’re Republican or Democrat, or what have you, the farming industry has been really hurt by these polices,” she says.
Maryland Representatives Glenn Ivy and Kweisi Mfume are two of the bill’s co-sponsors.
By Kevin McManus