President Trump Announces $16 Billion Of New Aid For American Farmers

Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: And we begin this hour with news of relief to many Americans suffering for different reasons. There's the disaster relief bill that has been making its way through Congress. President Trump says he'll sign it, even though it doesn't contain any of the border funding that he wanted. And then there's the $16 billion aid program designed to help farmers hurt by the trade war with China. The president announced all of this at the White House this afternoon. NPR's White House correspondent Tamara Keith was there, and now she's here to help us untangle it all. Hey there, Tam. TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Hello. KELLY: So is the aid package to farmers connected to the disaster aid bill? Is this timing a coincidence? KEITH: It is a coincidence. In fact, the president was asked about the disaster bill at the end of this event, with - to talk about aid for farmers. But they are connected in one way, which is that the president wants to