Small farmers left behind in Trump administration’s COVID-19 relief package (NBC News)

NBC News published a story on the congressionally authorized $19 billion bailout for farms suffering losses because of the coronavirus pandemic, and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said its $16 billion in direct payments would be a “lifeline” for farmers of “all sizes and all…production.” The preliminary data suggests it has favored large, industrialized farms over smaller, diversified ones, provides loopholes for corporate farms, and has sent sizable payments to foreign-owned operations. Ultimately, many struggling farmers remain ineligible for assistance, unable to access any of Congress’s funds. Senior Research Fellow Joseph Glauber stated, “When you have a program in response to some emergency, you want to get money out as soon as possible. But at the same time, people want accountability for those monies. They want to make sure it’s going to the right people and that somehow the amount of money going to people is commensurate with the amount of money lost, so you’re not overpaying some and underpaying others. To get all those things right is tough.” Republished in Daily Magazine.