RIO GOOD DEAL
Brazil meat bros get $2M more from feds
A meatpacking company owned by a pair of shady Brazilian brothers already under scrutiny for receiving $62 million in federal bailouts was given another turn at the government trough on Friday, receiving $2 million more from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Just one day after the Daily News reported the Trump administration had doled out millions of dollars intended to benefit American farmers to JBS USA — owned by Joesley and Wesley Batista, who both admitted to bribing hundreds of South American officials — the government upped the company’s take to $64.4 million, new purchase records reveal.
The Friday payout is the fourth government bailout issued to the Brazilian-owned meatpacker. The administration first forked over $22.3 million in January and then followed that up with $14.5 million in February and another $25.6 million in early May, according to purchase records first reported by The News.
Some Democratic members of Congress and 2020 candidates have demanded an explanation for why the administration is giving taxpayer cash that’s supposed to be earmarked for struggling U.S. farmers to JBS USA – the American subsidiary of JBS SA, the largest meatpacker in the world.
A spokesman for the Agriculture Department declined to comment beyond a statement issued last week saying it doesn’t matter “who the vendor is” because “the products purchased are grown in the U.S. and benefit U.S. farmers.”
But the department hasn’t explained why the cash can’t go directly to American farmers instead of JBS. The administration also has yet to provide proof the money ends up benefiting U.S. farmers to the greatest extent possible and has refused to say whether it was aware of JBS’ sketchy history before issuing the bailouts.
A spokesman for JBS echoed the administration’s sentiment and claimed the Brazilian-owned company is only taking cash from the program to benefit American farmers.
“Our sole intent for participating is to support U.S. producer prices and help our American producer partners,” the spokesman said. “This is not a bailout. We are paid for the work of our team members in the plant and the products we produce, which are used to support important federal feeding programs that assist U.S. citizens.”
Congressional Republicans — some of whom have taken political donations from JBS USA’s super PAC — have been conspicuously silent since the administration’s bailout practices came to light.
That contrasts intense backlash from top Republicans such as Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley against a $240,000 bailout that the administration wanted to issue to Chineseowned Smithfield Foods last year. That payout ended up being canceled because of the bipartisan backlash.
The JBS bailout bucks come from a $12 billion federal program that President Trump drew up to alleviate financial pressure on farmers hurt by his escalating trade war with China and other nations.