Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 7/26/18

In Washington, the word unprecedented gets thrown around a little too often, but as far as anyone can tell, the Trump administration's $12 billion aid package to blunt the impact of tariffs is just that — and it could very well backfire, reports Pro Ag's Catherine Boudreau.

History 101: Efforts by past presidents to manipulate global trade have ended up boosting farmers in other countries at the expense of U.S. agriculture, no matter how much the federal government spends to buoy local markets. The Nixon administration in 1973 embargoed exports of soybeans and cottonseed to shield U.S. meat producers from skyrocketing costs for feed. And former President Jimmy Carter in 1980 blocked U.S. grain exports to the Soviet Union to punish the country for its military occupation in Afghanistan.

Economists on fire: These actions were a "stimulus to U.S. competitors" like Brazil, now a top exporter of soybeans, which increased agricultural production to meet the demand American farmers couldn't fill, said Scott Irwin, an agricultural economist at University of Illinois. "Based on a couple historical episodes, farmers' biggest fear is this could put the United States in category of an unreliable supplier," he said.

GOP grapples with being the party of tariffs: President Donald Trump's use of tariffs is still an incredibly divisive issue within the Republican party. In the Senate, there are a number of increasingly vocal members who want to take a harder line against the president, but they're running into a big obstacle: Their Republican colleagues. Per POLITICO's Rachael Bade and Burgess Everett: "Senate Republicans are increasingly focused on writing legislation to tie [Trump's] hands. And it's not just usual Trump critics like Jeff Flake and Bob Corker : Trump ally Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch is working on a bill limiting Trump from imposing new national security tariffs."