June 25, 2020 — President Donald Trump is directing his administration to explore options to financially help the Maine lobster industry.
According to the Presidential Memo, the Secretary of Agriculture is to “consider including the United States lobster industry and other segments of the United States seafood industry in any future assistance provided to mitigate the effects of China’s retaliatory trade practices.”
The directive is similar to trade offsets to help Midwestern farmers hurt by trade policies, which have added up to approximately $25 billion.
President Trump said retaliatory Chinese tariffs have hit the Maine lobster industry particularly hard.