President Donald Trump, with Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR), Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), Representative Austin Scott (R-GA), and farmers from Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make $12 billion available in one-time bridge payments to American farmers in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs.
Of the $12 billion provided, up to $11 billion will be used for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program for farmers who produce Barley, Chickpeas, Corn, Cotton, Lentils, Oats, Peanuts, Peas, Rice, Sorghum, Soybeans, Wheat, Canola, Crambe, Flax, Mustard, Rapeseed, Safflower, Sesame, and Sunflower. Farmers who qualify for the FBA Program can expect payments to be released by February 28, 2026. Eligible farmers should ensure their 2025 acreage reporting is factual and accurate by 5pm ET on December 19, 2025.
The remaining $1 billion of the $12 billion in bridge payments will be reserved for commodities not covered in the FBA Program such as specialty crops and sugar.
President Trump made remarks during a round table with cabinet members, farmers and lawmakers, including comments from Iowa farmer Cordt Holub and Lousiana rice producer Meryl Kennedy.
Pres. Trump farmer aid announcement 30:07