MOSINEE • US President Donald Trump announced US$13 billion (S$17.6 billion) in new aid for farmers at a campaign rally on Thursday night in Wisconsin, a critical electoral battleground where he has been trailing in recent polls.
The United States Congress had authorised additional borrowing authority for the Department of Agriculture in Covid-19 relief legislation passed earlier this year, and the second round has been widely anticipated.
"I am doing even more to support Wisconsin farmers," Mr Trump said during the rally. "Starting next week, my administration is committing an additional - you have been asking for this for a long time - US$13 billion in relief to help farmers recover from the China virus, including Wisconsin's incredible dairy, cranberry and ginseng farmers who got hurt badly."
Unveiling billions of dollars in new agricultural payments at the rally in Mosinee, in central Wisconsin, might help Mr Trump gain maximum credit for the assistance in a crucial state for the 2020 election where rural voters play a major role.
Nine opinion polls taken since Aug 29 all show Democrat Joe Biden leading in Wisconsin.
Mr Trump carried the state by just 0.8 percentage point four years ago on the strength of overwhelming support from rural residents, who backed him by 62 per cent to 35 per cent and accounted for more than a quarter of votes cast, according to exit polls.
Mr Trump did not detail the new assistance. People familiar with the matter said the Agriculture Department would explain how the aid is to be distributed.
National Farmers Union president Rob Larew said in a statement: "This support is absolutely crucial - but it is just as crucial that it is distributed fairly and equitably."
The US leader unveiled the first round of as much as US$19 billion in coronavirus aid in April, after the authorisation from Congress. That included as much as US$16 billion in direct payments to farmers to bolster their incomes, and US$3 billion for government purchases of meat, dairy products and other foods.
"The first round of funding, though greatly appreciated, was not without its flaws," Mr Larew said. "Not only did it favour large farms over smaller ones, it also sent millions of dollars to foreign-owned operations and excluded some farmers entirely."
BLOOMBERG
