Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years. Sunday, April 28, 2024

Politics

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

Taxes could complicate Biden infrastructure push

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.
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Katherine Tai

US ag exports suffer as USTR suspends a key trade tie with Burma during unrest

The U.S. on Monday suspended a formal trade tie with Burma two months after a military coup and the arrest of the country’s elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and others in her National League for Democracy party. The U.S. action comes after years of increasing agricultural trade with Burma amid warming relations between the two countries, but that progress is now threatened.
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Vilsack after being announced as ag secy pick

Vilsack pledges to implement minority debt relief

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack pledged to the House Agriculture Committee to “root out” systemic racism and barriers at USDA that prevent Black and other socially disadvantaged farmers from receiving the same level of assistance that has historically been available to white farmers.
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Planting

USDA announces $6B in additional pandemic aid

USDA announced Wednesday plans to spend at least $6 billion on new pandemic aid programs that reach a broader swath of producers than previous efforts, while putting “a greater emphasis on outreach to small and socially disadvantaged producers, specialty crop and organic producers (and) timber harvesters.”
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