Des Moines Register: The Trump administration’s plan to provide $12 billion in federal aid to American farmers hurt by a trade war drew a sharp mix of reactions Tuesday from Iowa farm groups, politicians, agricultural economists and others. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue described the initiative as a short-term strategy that will protect agricultural producers while Trump works on long-term trade deals to benefit agriculture and the entire U.S. economy. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said the president’s plan to provide billions of dollars in federal aid for struggling farmers is encouraging for the short term. But, he said, “what farmers in Iowa and throughout rural America need in the long term are markets and opportunity, not government handouts.”