Biden to sign bill with $4 billion in debt relief for minority farmers
With Republicans complaining of discrimination against white farmers, the House passed a coronavirus bill on Wednesday that would provide an estimated $4 billion in debt relief for socially disadvantaged farmers.
Coronavirus bill offers aid as food insecurity eases
Although in the latest Pulse survey from the Census Bureau, fewer people said they didn’t have enough food to eat in the past week, hardship rates remain very high, said the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on Wednesday.
Food system responsible for one-third of greenhouse gases
The world food system, stretching from farm field and feedlot to grocery store and waste management facility, generates 34 percent of the greenhouse gases created by human activity, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said this week.
Today’s Quick Hits
Fudge goes to HUD: The Senate confirmed Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 66-34. Fudge resigned from the House immediately after voting in favor of the Biden administration’s coronavirus relief bill. (FERN’s Ag Insider)
Senate confirms Regan: On a 66-34 vote, the Senate confirmed Michael Regan as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, “where he’ll join an administration that has pledged aggressive action on tackling the climate crisis.” (CNN)
Grocery inflation slows: Grocery prices are 3.5 percent higher than a year ago, down from the 3.7 percent inflation rate reported a month ago, but the food-at-home index is nearly double the overall U.S. inflation rate. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Peterson is back: Former House Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson announced a strategic partnership with the agricultural consultancy Combest, Sell and Associates. (CSA)
Estate tax repeal: Two dozen Republican senators filed a bill to repeal the federal estate tax; the 2017 Trump tax cuts doubled the estate tax exemption to $10 million per person through 2025. (Sen. John Thune)
