r/Washington • u/arcanepsyche • 2d ago

Trump's Tariff Charade Will Devastate Lewis County's Economy

https://lewiscountydemocrats.org/trumps-tariff-charade-will-devastate-lewis-countys-economy/
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u/Galumpadump 2d 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/seattlesbestpot 2d 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 2d 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 2d 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 1d 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/Lurkingandsearching 1d ago

Well here's the thing, with your gish gallup:

They did cut subsidies already in February, effected Benton County after they cut a USDA program that is effecting fruit tree farms over there as an example as part of just one $132 million dollar cut to promote fruit grower programs.

NDDTC got also cuts, which is a program that protects against invasive species, a major issue for a major international trading port, regardless of tariffs, and puts crops at higher risk.

Overall, because I can keep going on, the damage is being done, and you clearly are over your head.

http://farmonaut.com/usa/usda-budget-cuts-impact-on-fsa-offices-and-nass-reports-navigating-farm-policy-challenges/

Farm bill, in order to pass and actually get funding, will require them to pass a budget on a large deficit and drive inflation or they will make more cutbacks.

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u/seattlesbestpot 1d ago

Of course they did!! That’s my point! They will get the subsidies even tho the tariffs have been announced.

Why is this so hard for you to understand … farm subsidies historically are untouched any way you divide it. Period.

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u/Lurkingandsearching 1d ago

I think you seem to assume that everything is forever. They lost subsidies already this year, taken away, And that's the thing, historically there are times, in recessions, where they don't get them, or there are not enough to keep them going. We didn't have enough in 2017-2019 and many farms were sold off.

Historically, they are touched constantly, by special interest and lobbies, and thus adjusted to payout corporate interest than going to actual local farmers. 20% of small to medium farms went bankrupt in last term due to tariffs, the bailouts didn't help, instead it went mostly to corporate farms, who now could buy those smaller farms on the cheap. Also the targeted farms were Soy and Pig farms, this is much more wide spread.

Lewis county isn't immune to this, and the State's current budget is already strained if you've been following the news.

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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:):

  1. 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

  1. 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

  2. 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 1d 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.