Philip Brasher

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, who has clashed with the agricultural biotech industry, has been named the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations panel that writes budgets for the Agriculture Department and Food and Drug Administration.

A top lobbyist for food and beverage giant PepsiCo Inc. who was formerly a top aide to Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts is taking over as the panel?s chief of staff as it prepares to rewrite federal child nutrition policy. Joel Leftwich served Roberts as deputy staff director f

Pat Roberts officially became chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, making him the first lawmaker to chair both that panel and its House counterpart. The Kansas Republican said he will use the position to attack EPA regulations while also working on reauthorizing child nutrition programs a

bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline is headed to the Senate floor next week after the Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the measure on a near party-line vote, 13-9.

Senate Republicans are promising to move quickly on a bill to give President Obama fast-track trade negotiating authority without protections leading Democrats want.

The new chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is pledging to take on the Obama administration over the proposed Clean Water Act rule and its enforcement of the Endangered Species Act

Senate Republicans scrambled to secure a veto-proof margin for legislation approving the Keystone XL pipeline but said they may have to attach the measure to a must-pass bill later.

The 114th Congress convenes at noon on Tuesday, putting both houses in Republican hands for the first time in eight years

Special safety labels won't be required for mechanically tenderized meat until at least 2018 after the Obama administration failed to finalize the regulation in time for it to take effect earlier. The labeling rule, which is expected to provide detailed cooking instructions for the meat, had to be

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to ease recordkeeping requirements for cattle being moved across state lines while ensuring that federal or state inspectors have access to information they need during a disease outbreak.