Washington • The government shutdown has stalled President Donald Trump’s program to send billions of dollars to farmers hurt by the trade war with China as the Agriculture Department office responsible for administering the payouts is closed for lack of funding.
On Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that the department has extended the deadline for farmers to apply for bailout payments. The application window was slated to close Jan. 15, but Perdue said Tuesday that the deadline will be extended, at minimum, weeks after the shutdown ends.
The extension is one of a string of actions taken by the administration to limit the pain inflicted by the federal shutdown, even as the extended lapse in funding brings to a halt an increasing range of government functions.