Congress sets the rules but farm subsidies are ‘a great investment,’ says Perdue Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue steered clear of a farm bill squabble on Tuesday that has Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley considering a vote against the bill because it would relax crop subsidy limits. DOJ’s stance on California egg… Continue reading
The farm-income bump is the bailout by Trump U.S. farm income will be slightly higher than expected this year due chiefly to $4.7 billion in Trump tariff payments that will buffer the impact of trade war on commodity prices, says the USDA. With the bailout, farmers are forecast to collect… Continue reading
On Capitol Hill, tentative agreement for a ‘status quo’ farm bill With congressional leaders calling the shots on forestry language, and with an incendiary Republican proposal for strict SNAP work requirements apparently off the table, negotiators reached a tentative agreement Wednesday on a farm bill that is evolutionary rather than… Continue reading
House elections stamp expiration date on GOP ‘welfare reform in the farm bill’ The midterm elections on Tuesday, giving Democrats control of the House beginning in January, effectively ended a Republican push for stricter SNAP work requirements in the 2018 farm bill. The elections could also be the jolt that… Continue reading
Trump: ‘We don’t have enough votes’ for stricter SNAP rules Banking on Republican gains in the midterm elections, President Trump said Congress could wait until next year to pass the farm bill because “we don’t have enough votes” now for stricter work requirements for millions of SNAP recipients. In CDC… Continue reading
Looming renewal of ‘fish bill’ reveals industry-advocate divide More than 100 organizations submitted a letter to members of Congress on Wednesday asking them to oppose ocean aquaculture. The letter was delivered as the looming renewal of the “fish bill,” the Magnuson-Stevens Act, reveals divides between the fishing industry and environmentalists,… Continue reading
Two sides of Washington: Trump bailout and China tariffs The Trump administration will hear hours of testimony about its proposed 25 percent tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese products on Monday, overlapping with the expected USDA announcement of up to $12 billion in aid for U.S. agriculture to offset the… Continue reading
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