U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue takes a seat to testify before a Senate Appropriations Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the FY2019 budget request for the Agriculture Department, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 11, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department will provide $12 billion in support to farmers and ranchers hurt by tariffs imposed on U.S. products, USDA secretary Sonny Perdue said on Tuesday.

The programs, which include direct payments to farmers, trade promotion and food purchases, are already authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation act and do not need Congressional approval.

Perdue said the programs were a short-term solution to give President Donald Trump time to negotiate trade deals.