Why US soya bean farmers are upset with Trump’s $20bn Argentina bailout

President Donald Trump’s critics focused on a sizable financial aid package for Argentina as Argentinian soybean farmers compete with American soybean producers for market share.

On September 24, American Soybean Association President Caleb Ragland declared, “The frustration is overwhelming.”

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In an X-post, Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa summed up the concerns: “Why would the USA help bail out Argentina while they take the biggest market for American soybean producers? “?

Despite concerns from US soybean producers, a reporter asked Trump on October 19 why he had chosen to support Argentina.

Trump responded, “Argentina is fighting for its life.” You have no knowledge of it, young lady. They lack any funds. They are without anything.

US soybean producers were hurt by a different Trump policy, including his trade war with China, despite the fact that US aid to Argentina did not directly benefit them. However, the White House faces optics issues as a result of the aid’s timing and the soya bean export issues.

Trump is also receiving criticism from Democrats for the financial aid package’s size in relation to the cost of ending subsidies, which lower the cost of Affordable Care Act marketplace plans. Among those who have made this argument are Democratic Senators from Minnesota and California, Adam Schiff, respectively.

What’s happening can be explained here.

What does the phrase “bailout” in Argentina mean?

The key to this narrative is Javier Milei, Argentine president of the far-right, who has a relationship with Trump.

Milei, who was formally enthroned in December 2023, won the presidency on the grounds that it would cut back on government spending and support for other libertarian ideas, a political ideology that emphasizes individual liberty and supports a limited government.

At the Conservative Political Action Conference in March, Milei, who Trump has described as his “favorite president,” presented a chainsaw to Elon Musk as a sign of his aggressive spending cuts.

Milei has encountered difficulties despite experiencing high inflation in her home. The peso, or peso, is a weak currency in Argentina, making it more expensive to purchase goods abroad. This has hampered Milei’s political prospects and worsened the economic standing of the Argentinians.

The Trump administration provided a $ 20 billion rescue package, known as a currency swap facility, to help stabilize the peso ahead of crucial legislative elections in Argentina. Two central banks have reached an agreement to exchange debt under certain conditions. On October 20, the agreement was formally ratified.

The $20 billion in assistance was viewed as financial support for a needy ally, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. If Miliei loses the legislative elections, he won’t be able to carry out his alleged “chainsaw economics,” which saw drastic reductions in social and welfare spending.

Bessent stated to reporters on October 14: “It’s hope for the future.” “I believe Argentina can become great again with the bridge the US is constructing with its strong policies,” he said.

Critics speculate that this could result in the US risking monetary losses by purchasing Argentinian bonds at above-market rates.

According to Brad Setser, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, “Buenos Aires’ path back to economic stability requires more than a balanced budget.”

“The lack of foreign exchange has historically affected the country’s economy.” Its export market is sparse and heavily regulated. Its foreign exchange reserves are modest and its external debts are moderate.

Has US support for Argentina recently increased by twofold?

Ruben Gallego, a senator from the US, stated in an X-post on October 15 that “Trump is DOUBLING his bailout for Argentina.” Your health insurance premiums are about to double, in addition.

Officials are considering doubling Argentina’s assistance, but it hasn’t yet been done.

Bessent stated on October 15 that he was looking for ways to increase the US’s “adjacent” to the initial $20 billion by adding another $20 billion to its assistance to Argentina. He claimed that the private sector could contribute the additional $ 20 billion.

Separately, at least one group of Americans’ health premiums could double as a result of receiving more favorable subsidies for health insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

According to research from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a healthcare think tank, enrollees will have to pay 114 percent more out of pocket on average for their marketplace coverage if Congress and Trump don’t extend some subsidies before they expire at the end of the year.

How is US support for Argentine soybean farmers being impacted?

From October through March, China imports a lot of soya beans, making it typically the largest country in the United States. However, US farmers have long expressed concern about increased competition from South America, and Chad Hart, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University, said Trump’s high-tariff trade policy “amplifies the issues.”

China chose to source US soya beans from Argentina and Brazil instead of US ones after Trump earlier this year imposed tariffs on China.

According to Todd Hubbs, an assistant professor of crop marketing at Oklahoma State University, “the South American soybean crop was good this year and is expected to grow next year.” According to Hart, the soybean crops from Argentina and Brazil are “large enough to meet Chinese needs in the near future.”

To help offset the peso’s weakness and increase the flow of foreign currency into Argentina, Milei temporarily lifted export tariffs on many agricultural goods. According to Hubbs, China almost immediately purchased 7 million tonnes of soya beans as a result of that additional incentive.

When Trump offered assistance to Argentina, the US and China were already at odds with each other, so it couldn’t have happened at a worse time for US soybean producers. They thought Argentina’s aid sounded a favor for a rival nation that was acquiring their business.

Trump promised US aid to farmers who had been harmed by his tariff policies, but the government shutdown has stalled that aid.

How much of the US healthcare subsidies are provided to Argentina in comparison?

Senator Brian Schatz compared the cost of the government shutdown’s ongoing expansion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced subsidies to the magnitude of the Argentina package.

The ACA tax credits could be paid for a year, Schatz wrote on X on October 14.

Schatz is in the right place when comparing the initial $ 20 billion in assistance to Argentina to the first tranche rather than the second tranche. The nonpartisan number-crunching arm of Congress, the Congressional Budget Office, predicted that the credit balance would amount to $ 24.6% for the fiscal year 2026.

Although the two expenses share similar amounts, it should be noted that the funds used to support Argentina couldn’t be used to pay for healthcare credits. The Exchange Stabilization Fund, a pool of funds managed by the US Treasury, is dedicated to US intervention in foreign exchange markets.

Who are the 95 Palestinian healthcare workers held captive by Israel?

More doctors and healthcare professionals are mobilising and calling for action to demand the release of Dr Hussam Abu Safia and at least 94 other Palestinian medics currently held captive by Israeli authorities.

On Monday, in an event organised by Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW) and Amnesty International UK, doctors and healthcare workers protested outside St Thomas ‘ Hospital in central London, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all the detained healthcare workers currently held in appalling conditions in Israel.

The protest comes just days after an Israeli court extended Abu Safia’s arbitrary detention for another six months under the widely condemned Unlawful Combatants Law.

Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW), Amnesty International UK, doctors and healthcare workers protested outside St Thomas ‘ Hospital in central London on October 20]Image courtesy Healthcare Workers Watch]

A further five healthcare workers have died or been killed while in Israeli detention, and five more are missing, their whereabouts unknown. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 1, 722 healthcare workers have been killed in Israeli strikes in the past two years.

According to HWW, most healthcare workers were abducted by the Israeli military from their hospitals or ambulances while they were on duty. Testimonies collected by HWW and other organisations catalogue the torture and abuse that Palestinians endure in Israeli detention.

Dr Rebecca Inglis, an intensive care doctor and co-founder of Gaza Medic Voices, says: “Israel’s continued detention of nearly one hundred healthcare workers is in clear contravention of International Humanitarian Law. We are gravely concerned for their welfare given the extensive evidence that Palestinian detainees are being tortured while in Israeli detention”.

Who is Dr Hussam Abu Safia?

Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza, was arrested by Israeli forces on December 27, 2024, after troops raided the hospital, which at the time was one of the last functioning medical facilities in the region.

Amnesty International says that the hospital director has been held without charge or trial under an Israeli security law.

Despite relentless bombardment and the tragic death of his own son in an Israeli air strike, Abu Safia remained on duty, caring for patients and leading his team through unimaginable conditions.

Since his detention, credible reports have emerged of torture, physical abuse and degrading treatment, including suffering significant weight loss and the denial of adequate medical care, hygiene and timely access to legal counsel – in clear violation of international law.

Israel’s systematic attack on Gaza’s health infrastructure

At least 94 percent of hospitals in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, with many no longer operational. In addition to this, skilled doctors and healthcare workers have been killed, and paired with the detention of healthcare workers – most of whom were detained while working within hospitals and healthcare facilities – it has added to the immense pressure on Gaza’s vulnerable health system.

Between October 7, 2023, to October 20, 2025, HWW documented a total of 431 cases of detained Palestinian healthcare workers.

As of October 20, 2025:

  • 309 of the 431 detained healthcare workers are now confirmed to have been released, of which 67 were released as part of the latest exchange deal on October 13
  • Three senior physicians, an UNRWA pharmacist, and a senior physiotherapist are still missing, along with five other senior healthcare workers.
  • Five HCWs reportedly died or were killed while being held in Israeli custody, but their bodies have not yet been returned to their loved ones.

HWW claims that it has not yet heard from the families of 22 healthcare workers who are not listed in the “confirmed detained” or “confirmed released” figures.

INTERACTIVE - Nearly 100 healthcare workers held captive Gaza West Bank Israel doctors nurses medical-1761123165
(Al Jazeera)

Who are the other healthcare professionals currently employed?

Healthcare professionals who have been held captive by Israel have spent a total of 511 days in custody, with some still doing so since the start of the conflict.

80 of the 95 prisoners are from Gaza, and the remaining 15 are from the West Bank, which has been occupied.

In addition to the 31 nurses who were detained from Gaza, there are also 17 doctors, 15 hospital staff members who support the management, 14 paramedics, two pharmacists, and one medical technician. Twenty-five were junior healthcare workers, and fifty were in mid-level positions, compared to the 35 that held senior positions. One exception is a male.

36 of the prisoners were from North Gaza, followed by 24 from Khan Younis, 18 from Gaza City, and 3 from Rafah, making up the majority of the healthcare workers.

Shifting Roots: A Lebanese Woman’s Fight to Save Her Olive Trees

Nouhad was forced to flee her southern Lebanon home during the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict.

The 81-year-old describes her beloved olive grove as her life’s work and a symbol of resilience in the chaos, contrasted with others who speak of loss and destruction.

But when Israeli soldiers burn her beloved trees and pour down white phosphorus, she must deal with the agonizing reality that she will lose both her land and a portion of herself.

A documentary short about memory, belonging, and the roots that sustain us all through conflict, Shifting Roots.

Pakistan navy seizes drugs worth nearly $1bn in the Arabian Sea

Nearly $1 billion worth of narcotics have been seized from two vessels sailing through the Arabian Sea by the Pakistani navy, which is a member of the Saudi-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

The Pakistani navy intercepted the dhows in two separate operations over the course of 48 hours last week, according to a statement from the CMF, the naval network in charge of the operation, and seize narcotics worth more than $972 million.

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More than 2 tons of “crystal methamphetamine (ICE) with an estimated street value of $822, 400, 000” were taken from the first dhow on October 18, according to a statement from the CMF.

“Less than 48 hours later, the crew boarded a second dhow and seized 350 kg of ICE worth $140, 000, 000, and 50 kg of cocaine worth $10, 000, 000”.

The CMF added that the vessels were “identifiable as having no nationality,” but that no further information was provided regarding where the vessels came from.

A Saudi-led Combined Task Force 150, which praised the success of the focused operation, “underlines the significance of the multi-national collaboration,” was directly involved in the operations.

According to Saudi Arabian navy Commodore Fahad Aljoiad, the commander of the CMF task force leading the operation, “one of the most successful narcotics seizures for CMF.”

The CMF is a 47-nation naval partnership with the task of preventing smuggling by inspecting more than 3.2 million square miles (approximate 829 million hectares) of waters, including some of the world’s most significant shipping lanes, the statement continued.