# Trump Budget Seeks Higher User Fees on Barge Operators

> The Trump administration's fiscal 2021 Army Corps budget request of $6.9 billion proposes a new user fee on barge operators, on top of the existing 29-cent diesel fuel charge, to fund lock and dam upgrades over 10 years. The Waterways Council called the proposal excessive.

- Date: 2020-02-01 · published 2020-02-01T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: policy · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/54765-trump-budget-seeks-higher-user-fees-on-barge-operators
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md)

## Why it matters

A new barge user fee would raise inland shipping costs for grain and coal, which could pass through to higher freight and commodity transport prices, though the proposal is only a budget request.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: neutral
- CORN: neutral
- BARGE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2025-10-01 | [Trump says he'll use tariff revenue to bail out farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/22849-trump-says-he-ll-use-tariff-revenue-to-bail-out-farmers.md) | +1.4% | +2.3% |
| CORN | 2016-11-18 | [LatAm fears US rate hike after Trump victory \| Global Trade Review (GTR)](https://feedsoft.ai/events/74118-latam-fears-us-rate-hike-after-trump-victory-global-trade-review-gtr.md) | +2.1% | +4.0% |
| CORN | 2020-10-19 | [Trump's payments to farmers hit all-time high ahead of election](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50501-trump-s-payments-to-farmers-hit-all-time-high-ahead-of-election.md) | +2.7% | +2.6% |
| CORN | 2025-10-06 | [Trump bailout for trade-hit US farmers expected this week \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/22378-trump-bailout-for-trade-hit-us-farmers-expected-this-week-reuters.md) | -0.1% | +1.7% |
| CORN | 2016-11-23 | [Soybeans, soybean oil bound higher after EPA raises biofuel targets: Podcast](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6690-soybeans-soybean-oil-bound-higher-after-epa-raises-biofuel-targets-podcast.md) | -3.8% | -1.5% |
| SOY | 2025-10-01 | [Trump says he'll use tariff revenue to bail out farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/22849-trump-says-he-ll-use-tariff-revenue-to-bail-out-farmers.md) | +2.0% | +7.6% |
| SOY | 2026-04-16 | [Q&A on EUDR: main provisions for operators and traders](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19735-q-and-a-on-eudr-main-provisions-for-operators-and-traders.md) | -0.2% | +4.1% |
| SOY | 2020-10-19 | [Trump's payments to farmers hit all-time high ahead of election](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50501-trump-s-payments-to-farmers-hit-all-time-high-ahead-of-election.md) | +3.2% | +8.7% |

## Sources

- waterwayscouncil.org: https://www.waterwayscouncil.org/media/in-the-news/article/2020/02/bgov

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.