Ways and Means Dems set USMCA review priorities, oppose ‘combative’ rhetoric
House Ways and Means Committee Democrats are urging the administration to tone down the rhetoric heading into discussions with Canada and Mexico on the future of a North American trade deal. They argue that the deal’s environmental, labor and economic security provisions could be bolstered, but stress it should remain a trilateral agreement.
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement six-year review is slated for July. House Democrats wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Monday to highlight areas where they think the deal could be strengthened.
“In particular, we urge you to negotiate provisions targeting offshoring and threats to economic security; adopt new environmental protections; secure new commitments to strengthen worker rights; and ensure fair and effective enforcement of commitments already made,” they wrote.
But the group, led by the trade subcommittee’s ranking member, Rep. Linda Sanchez of California, called on the trade official to make clear to partners that the U.S. intends to keep the deal as a trilateral arrangement.
“We urge you, moving forward, to forgo the kind of combative rhetoric and coercive behavior that has defined the past year,” they wrote.
Take note: President Donald Trump has downplayed the deal’s benefits and suggested that he would prefer two bilateral deals. But in recent months, Greer has suggested that the U.S. is interested in keeping the deal in one piece while accommodating more discussions on bilateral trade issues.
EU looking for path forward on US deal
The European Parliament and Council will try to reconcile their separate proposals for ratifying the U.S. trade pact reached in Turnberry, Scotland, last year, according to a parliamentary agenda.
EU lawmakers approved the tariff reductions and legislative changes, but added a sunset clause and additional safeguards to protect against significant rises in imports. They also set new criteria on when the deal would apply. The additions have sparked backlash from U.S. officials.
“In plain English, Brussels is trying to move the goalposts while the game is underway,” U.S. Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder wrote in a Politico EU op-ed Monday.
A U.S. deadline for higher tariffs is also looming. Trump said he would raise tariffs on the bloc on July 4 unless it has implemented the deal and made the agreed-upon tariff cuts.
Redistricting electoral math still shows Democratic edge
An early look at the latest round of congressional redistricting still points to Democrats taking back control of the House next January, according to political prognosticators.
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Following recent court rulings, the most likely scenario is Republicans will net an additional five to seven seats, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report said on Monday.
“Given that scenario, we still believe that Democrats [are] favored to win control of the House due to the poor national environment for the GOP. But they are no longer overwhelming favorites,” Cook analyst Erin Covey says.
Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan newsletter published by the University of Virginia Center for Politics, gave a similar assessment late last week. While Democrats are seen overcoming the redistricting challenges, the changes nevertheless give Republicans enough of an edge that they could “save their House majority under the right circumstances,” he says.
U.S. potato industry calls for import ban following disease detection
Potato industry representatives are calling for a fresh ban on imports from Canada’s Prince Edward Island after the latest confirmed detection of potato wart.
“Given that this new detection has occurred in an entirely new field without any association with previous finds, it reinforces our continued concerns over the true scope of the disease in PEI production areas,” the National Potato Council’s Kam Quarles wrote to USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Services Dudley Hoskins Monday.
Quarles was joined by signatories from 13 state potato groups.
The group estimates that if potato wart arrived in the U.S., it could cause some $225 million in export losses.
Prince Edward Island accounts for around 20% of Canada’s potato production and represents almost 90% of the island’s ag exports, the government says.
Northern Plains farmers saw lower incomes in early 2026, survey suggests
Northern Plains farmers saw lower incomes and spending in the first three months of this year than they did last year, according to a new survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
More than 75% of bankers who responded to the Minneapolis Fed’s first quarter Ag Credit Survey indicated that incomes decreased in January, February and March compared to the same months last year. Around 65% also said farm capital spending had decreased, though 65% indicated no change to farmers’ household spending, according to the survey results.
“Cash is tighter,” Joe Mahon, director of regional outreach at the Minneapolis Fed, said on a webinar Monday, adding that with current interest rates “it’s less attractive to make large purchases of equipment or other capital inputs for farms.”
The report covers the Ninth Federal Reserve District, which spans Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakota, and parts of Wisconsin and Michigan.
Highway bill plan in House draws praise, jeers ahead of markup
The largest U.S. manufacturing trade group is praising a proposed surface transportation reauthorization bill from House lawmakers.
The highway bill will create jobs and marks “tremendous progress toward comprehensive permitting reform,” National Association of Manufacturers Executive Vice President Erin Streeter says.
In March, NAM and the Foundation for American Innovation released a report showing that the current U.S. permitting system costs companies at least $7.9 billion each year.
The measure also will reduce highway congestion and port delays that cost manufacturers almost $40 billion annually, as well as freight delays that account for 65 million hours of lost efficiency each year, according to the group.
On the other side, the League of Conservation Voters says the proposed bill would increase costs and harm public health. The group seeks investments in electric vehicles, more walkable communities and easier-to-access transit.
“Congress must take advantage of this opportunity to directly address skyrocketing transportation costs and deadly pollution,” the environmental group said.
The House Transportation Committee is expected to consider the legislative plan as soon as this week.
Final word
“People want to eat beef. That’s basically it.” – Joe Mahon, director of regional outreach at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, explaining that consumer demand is a key driver of high beef prices during an ag economy webinar on Monday.
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