U.S. sugar producer and processor lobbyists won a lot in the revised sugar trade suspension agreement with Mexico, despite U.S. interests withholding support.
Lawmakers return from the Memorial Day break with heavy attention on the coming testimony of former FBI Director James Comey, while infrastructure is the White House focus.
Getting NAFTA renegotiations with Canada and Mexico completed by January 2018 marks the "best window" for the discussions to conclude, according to US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
Economic activity continued to expand at a "modest or moderate pace" from early April through late May, though not all Federal Reserve districts shared that sentiment, according to the Beige Book.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would support a plan backed by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) to provide a tax credit to biodiesel producers rather than to fuel blenders.
If Congress and lobby groups have taught us anything in over 40 years of watching them, it is that most never want to reduce spending taxpayers’ money; in fact, they usually want increases.
Despite a downbeat first quarter of 2017, “most” Fed members indicated that if economic results unfolded as they expect, it would “soon” be appropriate to take another step to tighten monetary policy.
Mandatory budget cuts including agriculture subsidies are likely to be proposed this week via President Donald Trump’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposals and, more importantly, by the House Budget Committee.
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said he is “puzzled” by markets ignoring political risks, with market focus on such events heightening at “the last minute.” It’s tick-tock time.
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue appeared Wednesday before the House Agriculture Committee to discuss the state of the rural economy. Panel members asked him about several farm and trade policy issues.
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue’s speech was not his “first major farm policy address", as he spoke mostly “from the heart” and not from the 17 pages he said some staff had written for him.
The try-to-take-and-run maneuvers made by two northern-state senators against U.S. cotton producers continue to generate barbed but on-the-mark responses from other key lawmakers.
Lawmakers reached a budget agreement for the remaining months of Fiscal Year 2017, which ends September 30. Cotton and dairy farm program language did not make it in the final budget package.
President Trump's proponents keep saying to read the president's book, The Art of the Deal. Is that in the non-fiction or fiction section? Or perhaps the alternative non-faction category.
"Do not open the farm bill" is the mantra when the farm sector wants no changes. But when they do want changes, a must-have bill is the vehicle for change.
A Senate vote today on Sonny Perdue as the new USDA Secretary and a White House agriculture-related meeting on Tuesday are the key focus items for the week ahead.
Details on renegotiation of the North American Free Trade (NAFTA) agreement will come between now and the first week of May, President Donald Trump pledged today.
The spend-happy Hollywood types have poured money into a special election today in Georgia to replace former Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) who was picked by President Donald Trump to head up Health and Human Services (HHS).
Lawmakers are on recess while trips abroad and North Korea capture Washington's attention. Meanwhile, the IMF and World Bank hold their spring meetings in Washington.
Congress is on a two-week recess but has a lot of unfinished work when they return, including the Senate voting on USDA Secretary-nominee Sonny Perdue.
The past week’s summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping yields initial wins for U.S. beef and financial product trade, but no North Korea agreement.
The U.S. jobs report released this morning will not impact what the Federal Reserve has in store for U.S. interest rates. As the Wall Street Journal noted, the report is "mostly just weather-related noise."
A Senate vote on Neil Gorsuch as a Supreme Court justice, a meeting between US and Chinese leaders, more House farm bill hearings, and a Friday Employment report are the highlights from Washington this week.
The Trump administration hopes to notify Congress the week of April 3 of its intention to launch trade negotiations with Canada and Mexico, Democratic lawmakers said following a meeting with Trump trade officials.
Health-care reform, or more accurately the lack of it, cold still be a backdrop in Washington in the week ahead, but it will mostly be color the outlook for other issues.
