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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.

The slow-then-fast Congress is in a likely short-run fast period, so here are some updates of some policy issues of note.

“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.

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 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.

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.