President Trump has asked the Secretary of Agriculture to protect U.S. farmers from blowback from the trade dispute with China. However, there aren't many options for Sonny Perdue. Last week, Perdue was on the road for his second RV tour of farm country. His first tour was last summer. That's when he told producers he would be their salesman to the world. Now he's being asked to be their protector in the face of trade restrictions, some in place others proposed, as President Trump sets about rectifying what he sees as unfair trade with China. However, Perdue isn't saying what he'll do for farmers and there may be a good reason that's the case says University of Illinois Ag Policy Specialist Jonathan Coppess:
Most of the heavy lifting to protect farmers from any trade war blowback then, says Coppess, would need to be done by congress.