President Donald Trump threatened, then walked back from, new tariffs on imports from Colombia after the country blocked two military deportation flights from the U.S.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Sunday that his government wouldn’t accept such flights and that returning migrants should be treated with "dignity."
Trump responded on Truth Social by accusing Petro of having “jeopardized” U.S. national security. Accordingly, Trump said he would immediately impose “emergency” 25% tariffs on all Colombian goods, rising to 50% in a week.
Alongside the tariffs, he previewed visa revocations and travel bans for Colombian officials, heightened scrutiny of incoming cargo and new financial sanctions.
“These measures are just the beginning,” the president warned.
The White House later issued a statement saying Colombia had agreed to the "unrestricted acceptance" of deported migrants, including by military plane. The statement adds that the tariff and sanction plans will be "held in reserve" in case Colombia fails to keep to its agreement.
Take note: A trade confrontation could affect coffee and flower prices. Colombia is a major coffee producer, accounting for around 27% of unroasted U.S. coffee imports in 2023, USDA says. U.S. Energy Information Administration data shows Colombia also supplies around 4% of U.S. crude oil imports.
Keep in mind: Trump has been targeting this Saturday for possible tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, but there’s considerable skepticism around Washington about that happening. His inauguration day memo gave agencies an April deadline to assess trade policy options, and he doesn’t have nominees in place at key trade agencies.
Phyllis FongTrump cans IGs, including USDA’s Fong
Trump has summarily fired inspectors general serving at federal agencies, including those at the departments of Agriculture, Commerce and Health and Human Services.
Phyllis Fong had been in her position at USDA for 22 years. In October she launched a probe into the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s handling of violations at Boar’s Head following a listeria outbreak that killed 10 people.
Trump’s action may have violated the federal Inspectors General Act. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Government Executive that “the 30-day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to Congress.”
“I’d like further explanation from President Trump.” Grassley said.
The chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency said the firings are illegal. “At this point, we do not believe the actions taken are legally sufficient to dismiss presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed inspectors general,” Hannibal “Mike” Ware wrote to the White House’s director of Presidential Personnel. Ware was the IG at the Small Business Administration..
Trump told reporters on Air Force One Saturday the firings were “a very common thing to do,” according to press reports. However, it was the first time since 1981, when Ronald Reagan dismissed all 15 inspectors general, that any president had taken such a sweeping action. News reports said at least a dozen IG’s were fired.
Since the dismissals by Reagan, “practice has disfavored removal of IGs during presidential transitions,” the Congressional Research Service said in a report updated in May.
South America’s soybean acreage still growing, strong harvest likely
Soybean acreage among South America’s largest producers is up again this season, as Brazil is set for a record-breaking crop.
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Joana Colussi, a researcher at the University of Illinois, said in a FarmDoc webinar that Brazil’s soybean crop could hit 6.1 billion bushels this season. If it does, it would represent a 13% increase from last year and a new record for the country. Contributing to the strong yield, Colussi said, is a 2% expansion in acreage and favorable weather in the county’s central growing region.
Meanwhile, many Argentinian farmers have turned to planting soybeans after large corn losses last season. Soybean acreage is up 10% to 45 million acres, and the country is projected to produce its largest crop since the 2018-2019 season.
Colussi said Brazil’s corn crop is still on course for its second-largest harvest in history, with 3% projected growth from last year. Argentina’s corn output, however, could fall 16% from reduced planting.
Schweikert to chair Joint Economic Committee
GOP Rep. David Schweikert will helm the Joint Economic Committee this Congress – the committee responsible for evaluating the country’s economic health and recommending new policies.
The Arizona Republican has served on the committee for five terms and was vice chairman in the last Congress. The committee chair alternates between House and Senate lawmakers. Schweikert replaces Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., who will remain on the panel. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., will serve as vice chair.
Senate Agriculture Committee member Jerry Moran, R-Kan., joins the committee this Congress, while Ag ranking member Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., keeps her position. The committee’s other House members have not yet been announced.
Photos from AFBF conference in San Antonio
Former House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., received the Distinguished Service Award presented by AFBF President Zippy Duvall.
House Ag Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig, D-Minn., and House Ag Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., sit in the front row as Peterson accepts the award. Craig waves to the crowd as she’s recognized by Peterson. (Photos: Lydia Johnson)Whole milk bill reintroduced in House, Senate A bipartisan group of senators and House members has reintroduced legislation to allow whole milk to be served with school lunches.
USDA regulations currently require milk to be fat-free or low-fat. It can also be flavored or unflavored. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 would allow schools to offer students whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free flavored and unflavored milk. “Further, USDA may not prohibit a school participating in the program from offering students any of these milk choices,” according to a summary of the bill from the previous Congress.
The bill’s sponsors: Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., and Kim Schrier, D-Wash., and Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Peter Welch, D-Vt., Dave McCormick, R-Pa., and John Fetterman, D-Pa.
Final word
"You're going to see the numbers steadily increase, the number of arrests nationwide as we open up the aperture. Right now, it's concentrating on public safety threats, national security threats. That's a smaller population. So, we're going to do this on a priority basis. That’s President Trump's promise. But as that aperture opens, there'll be more arrests nationwide." – Trump border czar Tom Homan, discussing the administration’s deportation plans for undocumented immigrants with ABC News on Sunday.
Senate Ag Committee member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., warned on NBC’s Meet the Press that mass deportations could worsen inflation. “Mass deportations of farm workers in California, maybe half the workforce, are going to drive food prices through the roof. Mass deportation of construction workers [is] going to drive housing prices even more through the roof.”
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