Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack is going after Donald Trump in a podcast aimed at rural residents, specifically pointing to Trump’s plan to impose across-the-board tariffs.
“You can't raise the cost of living, as the Trump administration is proposing, by anywhere from 2,500 to 4,000 bucks per family and expect that to be beneficial to rural families. That's just not the case," Vilsack tells Missouri Democratic organizer Jess Piper, executive director of Blue Missouri, on her podcast.
"I think it's really, really important for folks to understand the contrast and the comparison when you talk about building an economy, investing in things like ambulances, and then you've got Trump talking about tariffs that economists will tell you will raise prices. Raise prices across the board. No question about it, raise prices. And the people who will pay the most, unfortunately, are the people in rural places."
Vilsack, who’s stumping for Vice President Kamala Harris in his personal capacity, also cites her rural agenda, which calls for hiring 10,000 new rural health care professionals and investing in U.S. agriculture “by boosting access to credit, land, and markets,” he says.
“The key here, I think, is to make sure there’s an understanding of the importance of rural places and the need for investment in rural places,” he says. “And candidly, that has not always been the case."
By the way: Trump’s former U.S. trade representative, Bob Lighthizer, wrote a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal defending his view that tariffs contributed to making the U.S. the economic power it became by the early 20th century.
During a period when “America created the largest economy in the world from the end of the Civil War until 1900, the average tariffs in this country were almost always above 40% on dutiable goods,” far higher than they are now, Lighthizer wrote in response to an earlier op-ed.
McDonald’s pulls Quarter Pounders off the menu in 12 states
McDonald’s stores in parts of 12 states have stopped using slivered onions and beef patties in Quarter Pounders due to an E. coli outbreak that has led to one death so far.
Federal agencies are investigating the exact source ingredient of the outbreak, which has led to 49 reported illnesses, 10 hospitalizations and one death. Most people affected have reported eating a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder before becoming sick, but it’s unclear if the slivered onions or beef patties are responsible.
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McDonald’s has pulled the Quarter Pounder off the menu in one-fifth of its U.S. stores, the Associated Press reported. Affected states include Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, and portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
Scott Gottlieb, a former FDA commissioner, said on CNBC Closing Bell Overtime Tuesday that it’s unclear how early this situation is, and more cases could follow. McDonald’s has good supply chain management and should be able to localize, identify and remove those products from the market quickly, he continued.
Gottlieb suggested that it’s possible raw onions became contaminated with agricultural runoff, and the affected restaurants could have sourced the ingredient from a single farm, he wrote in a post on X. It’s less likely for beef to be the source, as the company has multiple suppliers across the impacted area, he continued.
FDA to allow sale of feed with ingredients previously approved under now-defunct MOU
FDA has published final guidance allowing animal food manufacturers to continue using ingredients previously certified under a now-ended agreement the agency held with the Association of American Feed Control Officials.
The guidance gives some certainty to animal feed manufacturers amid the agency’s decision to not renew the memorandum, which effectively removed one of three review systems currently in place.
The agency is looking at creating an interim replacement for the AAFCO-FDA pathway, but has not yet finalized its guidance.
American Feed Industry Association President and Chief Executive Officer Constance Cullman said in a statement her organization is “encouraged” by the decision, which she said is "crucial for maintaining stability and confidence in our regulatory system."
USDA awards $1.5 billion for regional conservation projects
Ninety-two projects are receiving $1.5 billion in federal funding under USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
Since the start of the Biden administration, 334 projects have received more than $3 billion, the department says.
Interior funds Kansas groundwater projects
The Interior Department is providing $9 million for projects intended to mitigate drought challenges in Kansas.
Interior is awarding $7 million to the Kansas Equus Beds Aquifer Recharge, Storage and Recovery Project, which supplies water to more than 20% of municipal, industrial and irrigation users in the state.
Take note: Another $2 million will be put into a state program paying landowners to voluntarily retire their water rights permanently.
