Should farmers receive protection from Trump tarriffs? Will they? Who else should get special protection?

[DrPepper12]

https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/04/trump-tariff-carveout-farmers/682260/

American farmers are pleading for exemptions from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. GOP farm states reps are working to deliver the relief farmers want.

Tariffs will indeed hurt farmers badly. Farm costs will rise. Farm incomes will drop. Under Trump’s tariffs, farmers will pay more for fertilizer. They will pay more for farm equipment. They will pay more for the fuel to ship their products to market. When foreign countries retaliate, raising their own tariff barriers, American farmers will lose export markets. Their domestic sales will come under pressure too, because tariffs will shrink Americans’ disposable incomes: Consumers will have to cut back everywhere, including at the grocery store.

Farmers will share this tariff predicament of higher costs and lower incomes with almost all Americans—except the very wealthiest, who are less exposed to tariffs because they consume less of their incomes and can offset the pain of tariffs with other benefits from Trump, beginning with a dramatic reduction in tax enforcement.

Farmers are different from other Americans, however, in three ways.

First, farmers voted for Trump by huge margins. In America’s 444 most farm-dependent counties, Trump won an average of 77.7 percent of the vote.

Second, farmers have already pocketed windfall profits from Trump’s previous round of tariffs.

Third, farmers can better afford to pay the price of Trump’s tariffs than many other tariff victims.

But if a farm family voted for Trump, believing that his policies were good, it seems strange that they would then demand that they, and only they, should be spared the full consequences of those policies. Tariffs are the meal that rural America ordered for everyone. Now the dish has arrived at the table. If rural America cannot choke down its portion, why must other Americans stomach theirs?

Farmers SHOULD get tarriff protection

Farmers SHOULD NOT get tarriff protection

Depends on the crop, region, etc

Something else...

[MisterWack]

All small American farmers deserve benefits , more money , and more insurance so when a wildfire comes they are insured and don’t lose their livelihoods overnight allowing massive corporate owned factory farms to destroy the American Market.

Everything you can think of to help our small farmers,

I support because Agriculture is what keeps America fed and growing which deserves a pat on the back.

[seeyounexttuesday]

It's so funny watching the left twist these tariffs as something they don't like.

If a farmer can't sell his crops internationally, doesn't that mean they'd sell them domestically which would cut down on the amount of fossil fuels used overall? Isn't that good for the "climate change"?

[Anonymous]

US farmers have always been subsidised because it's in the national intrest. The problem in the future is keeping farmers on their farms and the next generation of farmers to want to farm. You only have to look at countries like Zimbabwe and south africa and the problems they faced after they didn't protect their farmers.

[DrPepper12]

That depends ENTIRELY on the type of subsidy!! Corn is overproduced to make ethanol DESTROYING the environment & DISTORTING the market. Brazilian sugar beet ethanol is 3x more efficient & better for environment. I don't support that or minimum price supports. It's fundamentally anticapitalist. It's corruption.

[Opinion Owner]

Not at all its economically strategic. The EU also subsidises it's own farmers too and slaps tariffs on so EU farmers aren't outcompeted.
It makes perfect economic sense. Why do you think Britain is rushing to stop it's last remaining steel plant from being closed by the Chinese, because once it's gone Britain will no longer be able to produce steel domestically and will be completely at the mercy of steel companies charging whatever they want to import steel to Britain because they know Britain has no other choice.
Now the way californian farming is being run is an absolute disgrace but other than that American farmers need to be kept on their lands farming. Also you grow what you can on the land you are on, who's to say sugar beets can't be grown in the US but as far as I know corn is also used as animal feed, hence the tern corn fed.

[Anonymous]

We already gave them 24B his first term. Maybe that was a hint tariffs were bad?

[DrPepper12]

Dear Leader GIVES hints he does not take them!

[OneViewpoint]

Fuck these ignorant rural asshole conservatives who voted to burn it all down. Let them burn.

These farmer welfare queens have been living off taxpayers for far too long. Let them experience the Capitalist free market they claim to love with zero government assistance. I hope they all lose their farms to Bill Gates.

[Sunrising]

I don't think President Trump thought out the full consequences of tariffs. I think he was doing it for all the right reasons, but he should do a U turn quickly!

[chrissykerdock]

you don't have a clue about tariffs

[Likes2drive]

Yeah I think they should be protected since everyone needs food

[DrPepper12]

BUT THEY WANTED THIS!!! FAFO!! In my experience failure, anxiety, pain, shame are the best teachers. They'll never learn if bailed out.

[OldBlu]

It kind of makes you wonder why Joe Biden sold so much American fertilizer to China. And why did he allow China to purchase farms in america?

[DrPepper12]

Capitalism means sell to the highest buyer. If China has more $ or say Japan in the 80s buying USA stuff then the market is working. Do you REALLY think the GOP would tell farmers "No you can't sell your farm for top dollar" If so you probably think Katy Perry is an astronaut too...

[OldBlu]

Did the spy balloon haul the fertilizer to china?

[BonzoInBitburg]

Classic case of fafo

[DrPepper12]

Yes but DO MAGAs actually understand the Find Out stage? Do they?

[BonzoInBitburg]

They remind me of Baghdad Bob saying they're winning while everything around is crumbling

[chrissykerdock]

tariffs would help us farmers

[DrPepper12]

Too bad. You ordered the meal, eat up MAGA!