Articles Tagged with ''Biden administration''

Democratic leaders have made it official: A continuing resolution that’s needed to avert a government shutdown on Oct. 1 will include a provision to increase the debt limit.

President Joe Biden has selected a veteran civil rights lawyer who teaches at the University of Michigan to lead the civil rights office at the Agriculture Department, which is under pressure to address long-standing complaints about discrimination.

The Agriculture Department has been scrubbing its website and social media to remove any photos or text that could identify Afghans who contributed to agricultural research or other projects funded by the USDA, government officials tell Agri-Pulse. There’s concern the Taliban may harm Afghans who cooperated with the U.S. – even if it was just to help on an ag research project.

The Biden administration is putting an end to the use of chlorpyrifos insecticide on food crops, provoking a backlash from some ag groups.

The House Agriculture Committee will vote next week on a bill that would extend a popular ag disaster program, WHIP+, for two years. Lawmakers have been working on revisions to the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus, which provided assistance to producers for losses in 2018 and 2019.

Supporters of the Growing Climate Solutions Act are signing up new co-sponsors for the Senate-passed legislation in hopes of getting the House to take up the bill.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow says she’s “very optimistic” that substantial new funding for farm bill conservation programs will be included in the $3.5 trillion spending agreement that Democrats have announced. Stabenow has been seeking $50 billion in new conservation funding to promote climate-friendly farming practices.

Farm groups are worried a UN initiative to reshape food production could result in recommendations that harm U.S. trade and deter the use of technology globally. But USDA tells Agri-Pulse the Biden administration will be emphasizing technology and research in its contributions to the UN Food System Summit.

Republican members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee are calling on the Biden administration to provide analysis and other documentation to back up the recent decision to replace the Trump-era rule that narrowed the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.

Some leading agriculture groups are urging lawmakers to reach a bipartisan agreement on infrastructure.