Taking time out of Washington following a historic vote to expel one of their own, Congress returns this week maybe still hungover on turkey and pie but facing a full plate of unfinished business in a growingly complex legislative agenda. The spotlight on international events gives way for both sides to bring domestic issues to the negotiating table.
Despite the extension approved for farm bill consideration, the House takes up a bill aimed at boosting agriculture and energy research even as Congress lumbers toward the upcoming holiday break.
We have reported before on the Administration’s emphasis on climate action across the government but most notably in agriculture and transportation. Climate advocacy groups are pressuring world governments gathered at this year’s United Nation’s COP28 climate conference in Dubai to commit to cutting global food sector emissions, as the conference host promises to put agriculture in the spotlight.
Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas and 2024 campaign seasons, both full of promises!
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently said he would offer to at least partially relocate the U.S. Department of Agriculture to Iowa if he is elected president — part of a federal agency relocation policy he shared Saturday while celebrating the completion of his visit to all 99 Iowa counties.
DeSantis, his campaign and supporters celebrated in Newton his touted completion of a "Full Grassley" tour to all of Iowa's counties. The "Full Grassley" was coined by longtime U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who travels to every Iowa county each year.
But DeSantis offered to bring more to Iowa in the future than himself and his family.
“We have to take power out of Washington, D.C., and send it to other parts of the country,” DeSantis said. As president, “I’m going to order all of our cabinet secretaries to reduce their agency’s footprint in Washington, D.C., by at least 50%.”
Total construction spending increased by 0.6 percent in October, led by strong gains for manufacturing, power, and education projects as well as single-family homebuilding, according to an analysis of federal spending data the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Association officials noted, however, that spending on other nonresidential segments, including commercial construction and highway and street construction, declined.
“It is apparent that the construction market overall remains healthy,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But a rotation is occurring among nonresidential segments as manufacturing construction expands while commercial construction slumps and highway and street spending stagnates. On the residential side, single-family construction is picking up, while multifamily is descending from record highs.”
Nick Yaksich, National LICA’s Director of Government Relations, joined other industry stakeholders in a briefing conducted by NRCS Chief Terry Cosby and his staff. The Chief opened with the NRCS’ accomplishments from FY 2023 and expressed optimism for FY 2024. That optimism is founded on the significant amount of funding Congress and the Administration has provided NRCS through the Farm Bill and the Inflations Reduction Act. Like so many public and private sector organizations, NRCS faces significant hiring needs that present challenges to successfully implement their programs. Chief Cosby reiterated throughout the briefing his priorities: increase equity, implement climate smart programs and promote urban agriculture.
A stopgap government funding bill that includes a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill easily passed the GOP-controlled House Tuesday after Democrats more than made up for the desertion of hardline GOP conservatives who were unhappy the legislation includes no spending cuts. The Senate approved a similar bill Wednesday night.
Gathering around the table for a Thanksgiving dinner won’t take as much of a toll on your pocketbook this year compared to 2022, but the meal still reflects historically high costs. The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 38th annual survey provides a snapshot of the average cost of this year’s classic holiday feast for 10, which is $61.17 or less than $6.20 per person.
The Associated General Contractors of America filed suit today in federal court to block the Biden Administration’s unlawful effort to expand the reach of a decades-old law that governs wage rates on federally funded construction projects. Association officials noted that the administration lacks the legal authority to expand the law to cover manufacturing facilities miles away from projects, or to retroactively impose the measure on already-executed contracts, among other concerns.
The top Republican on the Senate Ag Committee, John Boozman, says he doesn’t know whether the extra money Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow has identified for the next farm bill will be enough to bolster commodity programs and crop insurance. Stabenow reportedly told Agri-Pulse she expects to have $4 billion to $5 billion in additional funding for the bill. She didn’t identify the source of the money, and Boozman said he doesn’t know where the funding comes from.