Articles Tagged with ''John Thune''

The four senators and two representatives representing the Dakotas are pressing the Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency to make a change to the crop insurance provisions for sunflowers.

A massive bipartisan infrastructure bill the Senate is debating this week would make a historic $65 billion investment in expanding high-speed internet, but the bulk of the funding would be routed through states, and rural broadband advocates want to see the Agriculture Department play a bigger role in distributing the funding.

The Department of Agriculture plans to invest $500 million in the nation's meat processing capacity, but specifics on how the money will need to be determined by an upcoming public input process.

Jewel Bronaugh, the first African-American woman nominated to serve as deputy secretary of agriculture, sailed through her confirmation hearing as she pledged to work closely with senators on issues affecting the nation’s producers.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack denied Thursday that President Joe Biden’s goal of conserving 30% of the nation’s land by 2030 is a “land grab” but is instead intended to protect “private, working lands" through voluntary programs.

President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are readying their next big legislative push for a $2 trillion infrastructure package that he wants to pay for with corporate tax increases, which likely will make the measure a non-starter for Republican lawmakers and many farm groups.

Democrats are threatening to go it alone on the next COVID aid package if Republicans won’t make a deal on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion plan.

Congressional leaders reach agreement with the White House on a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package that will include a new round of aid to various agriculture sectors while also ensuring the deductibility of expenses used to get forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Time is running short for congressional leaders to announce a deal on a coronavirus relief package, but there continues to be some signs of progress.

Lawmakers have given themselves one more week to reach a deal on a new coronavirus relief package that congressional leaders want to wrap into a government-wide funding bill for fiscal 2021.