Free Trade

Eric Boehm | 12.8.2025 5:00 PM

In a more serious presidential administration, the decision to spend $11 billion bailing out American farmers might inspire a moment of introspection.

Why is such a bailout necessary? It could be that President Donald Trump's tariffs are creating higher prices for farmers and making American agricultural products less competitive on the global market—as the Farm Bureau, an industry group, has been saying for months.

There was no such introspection on Monday afternoon, as Trump announced an $11 billion bailout—or a "bridge payment," as the White House termed it—for farmers facing economic hardship. Trump said he was "delighted" to spend what he called........

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