Wisconsin Congressman Asking Why Presidential Campaign Advisors Received Significant Funds from USDA's Market Facilitation
Monday, September 16th, 2019 -- 7:39 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -A Wisconsin congressman is asking for an explanation after a recent report found that 15 Trump campaign advisors received significant funds from the USDA's Market Facilitation Program.In a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Rep. Ron Kind asked why more than $2 million in trade aid went to some of the president's closest political agricultural advisors from his presidential campaign, while claiming family farmers in Wisconsin got next to nothing. The Market Facilitation Program was created to help farmers being impacted by the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China. Kind claims that several of these advisors received well over six figures, with one cotton grower and former county Republican Party chair receiving nearly $875,000. Additionally, a former Republican governor of North Dakota received over a quarter of a million dollars, Kind's office said.
Last month, the La Crosse Democrat sent a letter to Perdue with similar concerns after a report found that the top one percent of large farms received an average of $183,000 in trade aid, while the bottom 80 percent received under $5,000 on average. State figures show that Wisconsin agricultural exports to China fell by 25 percent in the first four months of 2019.
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