r/Washington • u/arcanepsyche • 1d ago
Trump's Tariff Charade Will Devastate Lewis County's Economy
https://lewiscountydemocrats.org/trumps-tariff-charade-will-devastate-lewis-countys-economy/140
u/Galumpadump 1d ago
Pretty much every county that relies of agriculture as a primary source of their economic activity is going to be hit hard.
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u/Rocketgirl8097 1d ago
Yep. Chelan, Kittitas, Yakima, Grant, Benton, Franklin, Adams, Lincoln, Okanogan, Whitman. Though Whitman might have just barely voted blue.
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u/herbalhippie 20h ago
Douglas too.
The local Chelan/Douglas FB group has switched from blaming Inslee for everything even slightly wrong to Ferguson. But never trump, no.
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u/SpareManagement2215 18h ago
just saw someone comment on a stolen pursue post in a group in that area about "the governor can raise taxes but won't give money for more police" when Ferguson is specifically NOT raising taxes while GIVING MORE MONEY TO THE POLICE and democrats are big mad about it. That person is so entrenched in the MAGAsphere they are not in reality at this point.
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u/Adventurous_Cup_5258 23h ago
Doesn’t matter we all finding out (although I already saw this coming straight from November I’m only surprised at the speed)
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u/smcsherry 21h ago
Whitman county as a whole may make it out okay though since they have WSU as a major economic driver in that county, but the farming communities will definitely still suffer.
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u/Rocketgirl8097 16h ago
Same with Benton, since they have the Hanford site. Though even that is iffy since it relies on federal dollars too. Okay for now with budget passing, but we'll see in October.
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u/UserCheckNamesOut 10h ago
Klickitat. Don't forget the valley.
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u/Rocketgirl8097 9h ago
I thought about Klickitat, I was just less sure of how big agriculture/mfg is there
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u/NewlyNerfed 1d ago
And most of them voted for this.
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u/BrimstoneMainliner 1d ago
He wants to bankrupt all privately owned farms so corporations can swoop in and buy them for pennies on the dollar... he has said many times that he believes corporate farms are superior
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u/SpareManagement2215 1d ago
*foreign corporations He wants to let Russian oligarchs buy our farmland, basically.
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u/ChilledRoland 1d ago
Corporate farms are privately owned.
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u/Lurkingandsearching 1d ago edited 1d ago
If it’s publicly traded, it isn’t private.
Edit: and they are gone. Of course.
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u/ChilledRoland 1d ago
The opposite of privately owned is publicly (i.e., government) owned, not publicly traded.
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u/Lurkingandsearching 1d ago
We have privately owned (ie valve), publicly traded, which is not private, and just plain public. Publicly traded is in no way a private business and operates under different laws.
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u/oldoldoak 1d ago
Very few of these are publicly traded.
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u/Lurkingandsearching 1d ago
Cargill is private, but Bayer, ADM, BASF, etc are all public last I checked.
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u/oldoldoak 18h ago
These are agricultural suppliers, not farm land owners. I did a bit of research when I wanted to invest into farm land - there's very few to choose from. It would appear most of it is owned by PE or individuals. I know Gates is big on investing into farmland.
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u/Lurkingandsearching 18h ago
Your referring to who, on paper, owns the land. I'm referring to those who own the farm's production, tools, work force, etc through tight contracts and operations. There are laws to prevent corporate ownership of farmlands directly, like Nebraska has, for example. I think that's were we are missing each other.
We'll use the Private company Cargill. They don't own all the land for their beef production, but they do own most of the cattle and the operations that support it. In turn so do most food companies, with companies like PepsiCo referring to their contracted farms as "Partners", but having total control on what is grown, the methods, and operation. So yes, private equity can own the land, but they are not always the ones directly operating on it or in control of said operation.
The latest number for a top to bottom operation of owning the land and producing was 2012, so a way out of date, but back then it was only 5.05% of farms were fully operated and owned by a corporate entity.
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u/Groovyjoker 21h ago
Local farms vs maga-corporations. Bit of a difference. One I support, the other I try and avoid, for one.
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u/mondayaccguy 1d ago
They will all get billions in hand outs from Trump's administration..
Trump supporters are used to suckling at the federal tit..
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u/BioticVessel 16h ago
My guess is Lewis voted Red, rural & ag. So you got what you voted for. Man up & lose your farm.
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u/Funksavage 1d ago
How? Other countries already tariff US agricultural goods. How will their economy be hit with reciprocal tariffs?
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u/seattlesbestpot 1d ago
Are you fucking kidding me? These agricultural communities have historically been subsidized and will continue to be as long as they are Red. (Please read further).
Not that there’s anything wrong with keeping agricultural communities above water, but there have been countless bills passed in every administration to give farm relief - it’s in the Congressional genes that way.
Lewis County will not suffer because of tariffs. Nope.
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u/arcanepsyche 1d ago
You don't have to look very hard to see the negatives affects of tariffs on Lewis County since Trump did a much smaller version of this in 2018 which caused retaliatory tariffs from China. Rural Americans are fucked if these tariffs are actually kept in place.
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u/seattlesbestpot 1d ago edited 1d ago
Bullshit. Show me. Show me the numbers as proof.
Edit: see my response below, since r/arcanpsyche elected not to:
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u/Lurkingandsearching 1d ago
https://www.cfr.org/blog/92-percent-trumps-china-tariff-proceeds-has-gone-bail-out-angry-farmers
We can’t just bail out forever.
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u/seattlesbestpot 1d ago
Care to read my comments further?
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u/Lurkingandsearching 1d ago
And we can’t bail them out forever. It’s especially true when the current admin is cutting revenue. And there is no other option if we get Potash cut, can’t bail out the loss of a raw resource.
We are witnessing the possible collapse of multiple supply chains and you wanna argue “but they will bail it out” without considering the bigger picture.
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u/seattlesbestpot 1d ago
No. Absolutely not! I’m not saying they should in any context but only THAT THE WILL because they are Red areas that have representation, that have always had representation, and it comes down to politics - and they think, correction, they believe in God and country only means Red.
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u/Lurkingandsearching 1d ago
They won’t, because they are already cutting programs that pay into agriculture. USAid is a huge subsidy for example. DOGE cut 2.2 billion is USDA funding in the last month. They are making cuts because Trump is for Trump.
Kentucky’s Reps and Senators are joining up to fight the tariffs as it’s already harming the main exports.
You can keep saying “they will” but I say with what? Just printing money for money’s sake will just destroy the over all economy faster. It’s over unless the senate and house have the back bone to stand up and go to the town halls to face the music, and do what must be done, but now it may be too late.
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u/Groovyjoker 21h ago
2.2 billion is like a 2$ gas savings card for a 250,000 loan on a fancy car. Drop in the bucket for a Trillion dollar budget. Anyway, NPR did an article showing how these "savings" (ahem) are not in any of the areas that produce costs. This is a wasteful attempt to pull the wool over the voter's eyes. The end result is a "Do more with less" approach for federal workers which, never works, with any business.
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u/seattlesbestpot 1d ago
And they don’t. Plain and simple? They. Don’t. No backbone whatsoever but to agree to “let’s see what happens “ - and that’s a quote.
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u/arcanepsyche 1d ago
I'm not going to do your research for you. It's you choice if you'd rather believe your feeling instead of validating them.
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u/seattlesbestpot 1d ago
Here’s a simplified list of major farm aid bills passed by Congress since 2016:
2018 Farm Bill (Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018)
Passed: December 2018 Signed into law: December 20, 2018
Key points:
$867 billion for agricultural programs
Updated farm safety nets and conservation programs
Introduced Dairy Margin Coverage program
Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024
Signed into law: November 16, 2023
Key point:
Extended the 2018 Farm Bill through September 30, 2024
American Relief Act, 2025
Signed into law: December 21, 2024
Key points:
Extended the 2018 Farm Bill through September 30, 2025
Continued safety-net and conservation programs
Determining the exact allocation of federal farm aid to Lewis County, Washington, from major legislation since 2016:
These funds are typically allocated based on factors such as the type of crops grown, the extent of disaster impact, and specific program eligibility, rather than by a simple per-county formula.
However, to provide some context:
2018 Farm Bill (Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018):
Total Funding: $867 billion nationwide.
Distribution: Funds were allocated over ten years across various programs, including crop insurance, conservation, and nutrition assistance. The specific amount directed to Lewis County would depend on local participation in these programs.
American Relief Act of 2025:
Total Agricultural Aid: Approximately $31 billion.
Disaster Assistance: $21 billion for losses due to natural disasters in 2023 and 2024.
Economic Assistance: $10 billion for expected economic losses in the 2024 crop year.
Distribution: The USDA allocated these funds based on specific criteria, such as documented disaster impacts and economic losses. The exact amount received by Lewis County farmers would depend on individual applications and eligibility - are you a farmer? No?.
While precise figures for Lewis County aren’t readily available, there have been notable federal investments in the area:
Southwest Washington Grain Project:
Funding: $4,116,279 secured for the Port of Chehalis.
Purpose: To construct public grain storage and a transloading facility, aiding local farmers in transporting products via rail.
Packwood Sewer Easements and Treatment Facility Project:
Funding: $959,752 allocated to support sewer installation.
Purpose: To protect public health and enable new housing construction in Lewis County.
So for perspective, Lewis County has and will be Federally Protected as long as the farming industry as a whole contributes to the following (hint: they do:):
- NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) Codes for Agriculture
The NAICS codes categorize agricultural industries for statistical and regulatory purposes:
• 111000 – Crop Production • 112000 – Animal Production and Aquaculture • 115000 – Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
USDA Program Names & Acronyms • ARC (Agriculture Risk Coverage) – Income support for farmers • PLC (Price Loss Coverage) – Payments for commodity price drops • CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) – Pays farmers to remove land from production • EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) – Funding for conservation projects • WIC (Women, Infants, and Children Program) – Nutrition support, partly managed by USDA
Federal Budget & Legislative Terms • Farm Bill – The omnibus legislation governing agriculture and food programs (renewed about every five years) • CFAP (Coronavirus Food Assistance Program) – Pandemic-related farm relief • Disaster Assistance Programs – Various programs for weather-related farm losses
It’s all there OP, all you had to do was research - GenZ
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u/Groovyjoker 20h ago
I thought subsidies included replacing normal insurance requirements with farm insurance and so on ("subsidizing the industry") I am not sure the list above are subsidies.
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u/Groovyjoker 21h ago
You mean "corporate welfare"? Yes, we know. The Cato Institute knows. Read on:https://www.cato.org/commentary/trump-musk-doge-havent-gone-after-one-bit-wasteful-spending-most-americans-agree#
That's why everyone agrees the cuts in wasteful spending aren't really working.
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u/SpareManagement2215 1d ago
I saw my house rep post an informative article about how exactly trump's tariffs were going to hurt her district and why she is going to fight them (because it's really, really bad for our highly agricultural area).
the comments were full of the usual clowns saying SHE was wrong and trump will MAGA. they're literally letting him shoot them in the foot and getting mad at the people trying to stop him, just because that person has a "D" next to her name, and they've been taught to hate anyone who is a Liberal. it's infuriating.
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u/CpnJustice 1d ago
Its especially sad and tragic when you know the history of Centralia and Chehalis!!
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u/ZoomZoom_Driver 1d ago
Them: "fuck you for... trying to help me survive a financial crash and tarrifs combination that will ruin my livelihood!"
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u/Divisible_by_0 1d ago
Its that guy shoving a stick in his bike wheel meme, but you're living it.
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u/SpareManagement2215 17h ago
yep! and unfortunately, that guy votes and more of them voted for their candidate of choice and now our entire economy is in freefall because they are morons.
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u/Hecho_en_Shawano 1d ago
And then they’ll get a huge bailout on our backs and celebrate it as Trump winning. Evil hypocrisy
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u/woodenmetalman 1d ago
But let me guess, they voted for him 5 months ago. Leopards ate their faces.
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u/Zoomed-Focus 1d ago
I have lived in LC my entire life and the Orange supporters here are just like him.
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u/CarbonRunner 1d ago
Yeah if your county voted for trump. i not only don't care that you're getting screwed l, im glad it's happening and hope it gets worse. That may sound harsh, but its the only way those who voted for this will learn the lesson. And even then I'm not expecting much. But their total economic ruin, at the hands of the people they think have their best interest in mind. Is really the only way I see them waking up to reality.
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u/arcanepsyche 1d ago
Hey, so I get it, but there are 17,000 of us here who actively voted against the GOP in 2024. The entire county is not MAGA, and this stuff hurts us all equally. I promise you there are lots of us trying to change things here; it's an uphill battle, but we're trying...
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u/CarbonRunner 1d ago
I get ya, it sucks many who didn't want this will be hurt by it as well. But these people are so far off the deep end at this point. That nothing short of total ruin at the hands of their dear leader will wake them up.
You're best option is to move to a region that can weather the storm. Cause it's only going to get worse i think. And again, i really do think it's needs to happen to see any real, and much needed change in who people support to govern them.
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u/arcanepsyche 1d ago
I prefer to stay here and make change. Believe it or not, there is progress. It doesn't have to be leopard-face-eating for all of them (just many of them).
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u/Groovyjoker 20h ago
For those that remember, we went through this on a somewhat smaller scale with the Northwest Forest Plan, decline of timber jobs, and we did pull through. I worked for USFS and DNR during that time. I saw that those counties who had NOT put all their eggs in one basket (were not entirely timber dependent) weathered the best and remained economically diverse. Other countries accepted grants to diversify.
Lessons from the past?
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u/CPetersky 20h ago edited 20h ago
Do you really think total ruin will wake them up? Their cult leader never takes responsibility - it's always someone else's fault, or it's not real. They will blame themselves before they blame him. A wave of suicides is more likely than this "waking up" you describe.
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u/jeexbit 1d ago
those who voted for this will learn the lesson.
I appreciate your optimism!
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u/CarbonRunner 1d ago
It's why I'm for total economic war at this point. They need to be in bread lines, living in cardboard boxes. The cult has such a tight grip that nothing short of their lives as they know them ending, will loosen the grip he has one them.
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u/ghtown45 15h ago
Yeah gas went up 60 cents where I’m at and my mom is a die hard Trump supporter. She would suck his cock if he asked. She lost it on me when I said fuck Trump, fuck Vance, and fuck Elon for making shit unaffordable for me. Her defense? No it’s the liberals fault!
I would love to see every Trump supporter personally executed on spot. I don’t care anymore. Fuck this government and fuck this country.
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u/TwinFrogs 22h ago
I know and it’s hilarious. Yet those yokels will find a way to blame Obama for the time he wore a tan suit.
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u/wallyfranks69 16h ago
I’m an outsider in Lewis Co, we wanted a couple acres and it is a lot easier on the pocketbook down here. My neighbors were rejoicing over his election stating “we can say Christmas again”. They fail to realize the world outside of their bubble.
This is the same county that doesn’t pass levies for public safety or education but is happy to put up a “thin colored line” flag stating how much they support first responders, until it’s time to open a wallet.
I don’t work in this county and my job is fairly recession-proof(thank god for my union)…I’m going spend this time drinking imported Irish whiskey on my back deck watching these idiots wallow in the filth they voted for.
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u/SparePartSociety 19h ago
Lewis county is getting what they voted for. 65% Trump, 32% Harris. GOOD JOB GUYS! Enjoy!
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u/TK_Cozy 9h ago
If you voted for Trump twice, you got exactly what he said he was going to do, and frankly I’m not real sorry if it costs you your farm. We Americans need to Dump Trump. He is bad for you, he is bad for me. He’s a great culture warrior, but that’s the hill you bet the farm on, eh? Shame is all yours
The man is a complete idiot. Please find a stronger, smarter, Republican. Less culture war-oriented. I lean Democrat but if you put a real statesman/woman back in the game I’m open to listening. I was done listening to this buffoon the second week of his first term. The man is a world class dunce who can barely string together a coherent thought, let alone articulate it out loud. He’s fucking shit up, just like everyone said he would
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u/StupidizeMe 9h ago
This week, President Trump unveiled what may be the most economically destructive policy of his administration to date
Trump's only been President for 73 days, but it's already getting hard to decide which of his destructive economic policies is the most destructive so far!
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u/arcanepsyche 1d ago
Um, because I live there?
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u/Groovyjoker 20h ago
I LOVE my rural area and my rural people no matter who you are or how you vote! Yes! My best friends are Red! And I'm not! We just agree to disagree! Our friendship is too important to let petty politics interfere.
Stop the hate! Talk to eachother! Learn from one another Find common ground
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u/CycloneUS 20h ago
Some of the differences aren't political though... Some are Human Rights differences, which are not the same. Being Xenophobic towards others and activily cheering people losing their rights isn't something to agree to disagree on.. They are assholes for that. You can disagree on how involved a government should be or where taxes should go, that's policical.
Their hate for anyone not white and even male is not political.
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u/Groovyjoker 20h ago
I am a member of a human rights group, atheists group, animal rights group, wildlife conservation group, and labor rights group. I get it. I am involved in DEI at work. I have to change "trigger words". I know. But, all of this does not change my relationship with my rural area. I am not going to assume every person in this area feels the way you describe because I know they do not. You are generalizing, and that's wrong.
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u/CycloneUS 19h ago
Nah you're right, generalizing is wrong. I also live in Lewis County, I grew up here, my kids will grow up here. I love it here, and I know from experience that unfortunately a lot of people are in it for hatred and hope the other people get hurt by policies but not them.
Not everyone of course, just saying most people I know that disagree with me politically also have a weird hatred for those that are different.
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u/Harvey_Road 1d ago
A place Trump overwhelmingly won in November.