Farmers 'unfairly targeted' by US trade partners: Treasury official

The Trump administration aims to open international markets for the U.S. agriculture industry and is willing to support farmers in the short run against retaliatory tariffs, a Treasury Department spokesperson said Monday in an interview on FOX Business.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that it will provide up to $12 billion in aid for American farmers hurt by an ongoing tit-for-tat trade dispute. President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, as well as billions of dollars in Chinese goods. China, Mexico, Canada and the European Union have responded with tariffs of their own, imposing levies on a variety of U.S. goods such as soybeans, orange juice and pork.

Tony Sayegh, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Treasury Department, said one of the long-term goals of Trump’s tariffs is to make it easier for farmers to export their goods.

“Farmers are being unfairly targeted by our trading partners,” Sayegh said during an interview on FOX Business’ “After the Bell.” “We are willing to support them in the short term. But the larger term is to open the export markets to our products.”

In announcing the relief for farmers, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said the aid package is “a firm statement that other nations cannot bully our agricultural producers to force the United States to cave in,” according to ABC.

Sayegh also said a “successful renegotiation of NAFTA,” the North American Free Trade Agreement, is the administration’s top priority on trade.