{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-trumps-bailout-of-argentinas-right-wing-president-shortchanges-americans", "Reed: Trump\u2019s Bailout of Argentina\u2019s Right-Wing President Shortchanges Americans", "2025-09-29", "2025", "2025-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "RI", "Jack Reed", "R000122", "www.reed.senate.gov", "jackreed", "https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 With everyday costs in the U.S. on a tariff-fueled upswing and a federal government shutdown looming, the Trump Administration is sending billions in American taxpayer money to bail out right-wing Argentine President Javier Milei, who once handed Elon Musk a \u2018bureaucracy chain saw\u2019 onstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). President Donald Trump and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are offering Argentina a $20 billion financial backstop to try to help their far-right ally stabilize Argentina\u2019s financial turmoil ahead of the South American country\u2019s October midterm elections that are critical to Mr. Milei retaining power.\n\nWhile Trump\u2019s risky U.S. taxpayer-financed backstop offers very little upside for U.S. taxpayers, it appears to be a huge financial victory for a few wealthy investors and organizations with close ties to Bessent and Trump. Meanwhile, Trump\u2019s so-called \u2018deal\u2019 is a gut-punch to American farmers who are already reeling from Trump\u2019s tariffs because Argentina just suspended its soybean export taxes so it can undercut American farmers and boost Argentinian sales to China.\n\nThe Trump Administration\u2019s move comes just months after Argentina received a separate $20 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and on top of another $40 billion that Argentina already needs to repay to the IMF. The Trump Administration has no plan for getting back American taxpayers\u2019 $20 billion, especially as Argentina already must repay the IMF.\n\n\u201cInstead of lowering costs for Americans and preventing them from losing their health care, Donald Trump is taking $20 billion to prop up a flailing right-wing Argentinian politician whose highly indebted foreign government has already taken dozens of bailouts from international banks. Milei\u2019s political party has been plagued by corruption scandals. So this could end up being a costly, ill-advised handout from President Trump to President Milei.\n\n\u201cMeanwhile, a few of the Trump Administration\u2019s wealthy, well-connected friends appear to be cashing in on the move. The United States should help our foreign neighbors in need, but it should be done in a strategic, transparent way that broadly protects American interests. Instead, President Trump is handing our competitors a financial windfall while sidelining American farmers and shrinking the market for U.S.-grown products.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s disjointed policies are bailing out Argentina\u2019s president and helping to make Argentina\u2019s crops more attractive to foreign markets while raising costs on Americans. This is another terrible Trump \u2018deal\u2019 for Americans that put his narrow interests above the nation\u2019s. Trump\u2019s policies are causing more financial hardships for farmers, rural communities, and consumers in all fifty states.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-trumps-bailout-of-argentinas-right-wing-president-shortchanges-americans"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3686218298971653, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}