Hoeven, of North Dakota, said farmers need assistance "the sooner, the better, but certainly by year-end." The near-record sum is fueled by ad-hoc disaster and economic aid passed by Congress last December. The lawmakers were hesitant to specify how much aid was needed, but said it eclipsed the $23 billion of Trump's first term. "We’ve lost markets farmers worked decades to develop and the president is continuing his trade wars," the Minnesota lawmaker said. Republican Representative Rick Crawford, whose Jonesboro, Arkansas-area district hosted the town hall, said an aid package would likely not arrive before October.