The following statement may be attributed to Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Craig Hill, who attended the signing ceremony in Washington, D.C.

“Iowa farmers are hopeful the $16 billion agricultural assistance package announced today will help mitigate the financial effects the trade war has had on farmers, and we look forward to learning more details about the package.

"While another round of financial assistance may help keep some farms in operation, our members have made one thing very clear-- they prefer trade over aid. As the cost of running our farms continues to rise, to remain sustainable, farmers need access to global markets for their products, and securing trade deals will have a much larger and long-term on-farm impact than temporary aid.

"We continue to encourage the administration to work diligently to reach an agreement that will end this trade war, and we urge congress to ratify the trade deals they have before them. The clear preference for farmers is negotiating new trade agreements where we can grow demand for American-grown food, fiber and energy and have free access to markets, unencumbered by tariffs.”