BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 24, 2020
President Donald Trump directed his administration on Wednesday to provide lobstermen with financial assistance to make up for lost income from Chinese tariffs in a move that one of Maine’s senators praised and said “came out of the blue.” Trump signed a memorandum Wednesday calling on the U.S.D.A. to make available to the lobster industry subsidies like those given to soybean and other agricultural growers. Maine accounts for 80 percent of the U.S. lobster haul. In a Wednesday tweet, Trump said former President Barack Obama “destroyed the lobster and fishing industry in Maine” and falsely said “it’s back, bigger and better than anyone ever thought possible.”