WATCH: Pritzker declares agricultural trade ‘crisis’ while Trump touts new deals

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed an executive order to declare an agricultural trade crisis in Illinois.

The order directs state agencies to take immediate action to enhance domestic markets for agricultural commodities and continue investment in mental health support for farm families.

The governor signed the order Wednesday at a farm in Taylorville.

Pritzker said Illinois farmers are under attack by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress.

“While Donald Trump falsely brags about winning trade wars, U.S. farmers are the ones who truly are paying the price,” Pritzker asserted.

The governor said farmers are going bankrupt and being forced to sell their land.

“Whatever happened to America First?” Pritzker asked.

Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello joined Pritzker at Wednesday’s event. Costello said global markets and demand make agriculture production profitable.

“Last year, as the governor said, China bought $1.4 billion worth of soybeans from the state of Illinois. That market has all but dried up, because of President Donald Trump’s trade war,” Costello said.

Pritzker and Costello said Illinois’ roughly $26.4 billion agricultural sector has been hurt by Trump’s tariffs and trade policies.

Earlier Wednesday, President Trump touted the benefits of his trade policies at a summit in South Korea.

“We’re ending gaping trade deficits, unfair trade barriers to market access, insecure supply chains, weak, pathetic supply chains and much, much more,” Trump said. “We had such bad supply chains under the last administration. It was embarrassing.”

The president said he would be meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday in South Korea.

“President Xi of China is coming tomorrow here, and we’re going to be, I hope, making a deal. I think we’re going to have a deal. I think it’ll be a good deal for both,” Trump said.

Trump reminded the crowd what he said at the same summit eight years ago about the global trading system being broken and in urgent need of reform.

“We’re entering a new era of trade,” he promised.