Articles Tagged with ''Tom Vilsack''

Agriculture Secretary-designate Tom Vilsack commits to Black farmer advocates that he will ensure “fairness and equity” for African-American producers who are dealing with the impact of systemic discrimination and recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congressional leaders are looking to pass a massive bill in the next two days to keep the government funded and provide about $900 billion in coronavirus relief. Details of the COVID package had not been released as of Wednesday, but “there’s a sense of urgency for getting this done this week,” said Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois.

Congressional leaders spent Tuesday evening behind closed doors working on a sweeping year-end deal that would include a new coronavirus relief package as well as funding for the federal government for the fiscal 2021.

Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Liane Randolph as the new chair of the California Air Resources Board and Dee Dee Myers to serve as senior advisor to the Governor and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

Gray ‘stripped’ of chair role * Newsom’s latest economic advisor * Vilsack pledges to take on ‘systemic racism’

Lawmakers now have until this Friday to reach agreement on a new coronavirus relief package and government-wide funding for fiscal 2021.

Tom Vilsack pledged to act quickly to tackle racial issues at the Agriculture Department and joined President-elect Joe Biden in promising that climate change would be a top policy priority for USDA.

Under court order, USDA is reinstating the farm labor survey that has long been used to determine minimum wage rates for H-2A workers. It’s not clear yet how the action will affect 2021 wage rates.

A new rule is designed to give packers and producers clarity on what constitutes “undue or unreasonable preference” in the meat sector, but some already say it will need an update under the Biden administration.

The House has passed a new stopgap spending bill to keep the government funded through next week - and buy more time for negotiators to reach a deal on a new coronavirus relief package.