Items Tagged with 'John Boozman'

President-elect Donald Trump’s selection for agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, told Agri-Pulse Wednesday her meetings with senators this week have been "extremely productive" and highlighted the regional and bipartisan nature of farm policy.

Negotiations over a package of market relief assistance for farmers reached an impasse Saturday after Democratic leaders rejected the latest GOP proposal, and several major farm groups called on lawmakers to oppose a stopgap spending bill if the economic aid is omitted.

Lawmakers continue what’s described as “intense negotiations” over what’s going to be included with a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill. It’s not clear yet that GOP leaders will agree to add a package of market relief for farmers.

Congressional leaders could finalize a stopgap spending bill this week that will likely include another one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill, but may lack a package of disaster aid and market relief for farmers.

There’s been a lot of speculation about the kind of leader Brooke Rollins would be as ag secretary, so we talked with a couple of men who know her well. One is Drew DeBerry, a government affairs consultant at Axis Strategies, who first met Rollins when she worked for then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Democrats on the House Ag Committee are starting to line up behind the candidates seeking to be the panel’s ranking member. Reps. Angie Craig, D-Minn., and Jim Costa, D-Calif., are challenging Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., for the minority’s top spot.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., released the text of her draft farm bill on Monday with just weeks remaining in this Congress. The bill would limit the Trump administration's ability to use the Commodity Credit Corporation to compensate farmers for the impact of a new trade war.

Lawmakers are stepping up their work this week on a package of disaster aid and relief for commodity price declines as they head toward having to pass another extension of the 2018 farm bill. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Xochitl Torres Small is scheduled to testify at a Senate hearing on disaster aid needs. 

John Thune’s elevation to Senate Republican leader is being welcomed by many ag, biofuel and conservation groups. No Senate majority or minority leader has come to the job with a background in ag and biofuel policy as deep as the South Dakotan’s since, well, Thune unseated then-Democratic leader Tom Daschle in 2004.