Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0542

HR0542 LRB104 16107 MST 29419 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, American farmers have long formed the backbone of our nation's economy, providing food security, strengthening trade, and sustaining rural communities across the United States; and

WHEREAS, The agriculture industry, particularly soybean farmers, have suffered significant financial hardship as a result of Donald Trump's ongoing trade disputes and retaliatory tariffs; and

WHEREAS, The United States Government under Donald Trump's reckless directives has moved to extend a $40 billion economic aid package to Argentina, effectively doubling prior commitments, despite Argentina being a direct competitor to the United States in global soybean production and export; and

WHEREAS, Argentina has suspended its export taxes on soybeans following Donald Trump's tariff disruptions, an intentional move to drive down prices for U.S. soybeans and erase decades of work by American farmers to build global trust and trade; and

WHEREAS, Federal support for a foreign competitor defies the interests of American farmers who continue to face reduced prices, limited market access, and increased production costs at home; and

WHEREAS, The use of U.S. taxpayer funds to strengthen Argentina's agricultural industry at the expense of our own is a betrayal and a gross misalignment of our country's priorities; and

WHEREAS, This decision comes at a time when millions of American families are struggling to put food on the table, due to Donald Trump's actions to gut SNAP for more than 12% of all Americans, the very program that ensures millions of children, seniors, and working families can eat; and

WHEREAS, It is unconscionable and deeply deceitful for the federal government to spend billions propping up a foreign economy while American farmers and families here at home shoulder the cost, watching their tax dollars go abroad as grocery prices rise and family farms close; and

WHEREAS, America's farmers and working families must come before foreign bailouts to strengthen domestic production, ensure food access, and empower American farmers, as opposed to rewarding foreign competitors at the expense of our own; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we denounce the federal government's $40 billion bailout to Argentina as a reckless misuse of taxpayer funds and a direct insult to American farmers and millions of American families struggling to afford food; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge President Donald Trump and the United States Congress to immediately redirect these funds toward supporting American agriculture, reopening the federal government, and protecting American families' access to food.