Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Tuesday called farmers “some of the best patriots in America,” while speaking at an event, but said farmers “can’t pay the bills with patriotism.” Perdue made the comments at Axios 360, an event held by news website Axios, in Washington, D.C. Tuesday morning. Perdue says farmers and ranchers are “bearing the brunt” of the ongoing trade disputes between the United States and others, like China. Many of the retaliatory tariffs from U.S. trading partners due to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs are on U.S. agricultural products. Also attending the event were former U.S. Trade Representative Mike Kirk and House Agriculture Committee chairman Mike Conaway. Conaway told attendees that: “I can’t un-roil the waters on trade, but I can get this farm bill done.” A vote to send the farm bill to conference is expected sometime this week in the House of Representatives, or at the latest, early next week.