WASHINGTON (AP) —Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Thursday blamed the government shutdown for a delay in announcing an aid package for U.S. farmers, who have seen one of their biggest markets almost disappear because of President Donald Trump’s tariff war with China.
“We’ve got to get the government reopened so that we can move forward on that,” Rollins said at a cabinet meeting, where both she and Trump sought to blame the Biden administration for the woes faced by U.S. farmers.
Last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a significant aid package could come as soon as Tuesday. China has urged the U.S. to remove “unreasonable tariffs” to resume soybean trade.
Trump and Chinese President Xi are scheduled to meet in about three weeks in South Korea.