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The House is out but the Senate is in during a relatively quiet week ahead for Washington.

The turbulent Trump administration continues following the unexpected firing of FBI Director James Comey.

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.

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.

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.

Farm-state lawmakers and especially farm groups like to get rather than give, and that is clearly the message in the ongoing tax reform debate.

Consulting economist Vince Malanga reacts to the report.

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.”

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.

Consultant economist Dr. Vince Malanga of LaSalle Economics, Inc. sees signs the worse is behind in terms of productivity growth.