Items Tagged with 'rural broadband'

The Senate confirms Former Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., to serve as the Agriculture Department’s undersecretary for rural development.

In a victory for progressives, House Democrats delayed passage of a bipartisan infrastructure deal as President Joe Biden also insisted Friday on passage of a more ambitious package of social spending and climate priorities. He conceded privately that the latter plan would be cut significantly.

After weeks of negotiations, the Senate moved quickly this week to pass a bipartisan infrastructure package Tuesday that was quickly followed by a party line vote early Wednesday morning to advance a $3.5 trillion budget framework.

Some moderate Democrats in the sharply divided House are raising concerns about a planned $3.5 trillion reconciliation package and don’t want its passage tied to the fate of a bipartisan infrastructure bill.

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 Senate's proposed fiscal 2022 funding bill for the Agriculture Department and Food and Drug Administration would provide $7 billion in disaster assistance to cover producers' losses in 2020 and 2021.

The Senate debates its bipartisan infrastructure bill this week in hopes of sending the legislation off to the House before senators start their August recess.

Robert Bonnie, President Joe Biden’s pick to oversee USDA’s farm and conservation programs, insisted Thursday that the administration has the legal authority to use the Commodity Credit Corp. to incentivize climate-friendly farming practices.

Senate negotiators look to finalize and advance a bipartisan infrastructure bill this week, while the House debates a package of appropriations that would sharply increase funding for USDA, EPA and other departments and agencies important to agriculture.