Former Rep. Xochitl Torres Small has been confirmed by the Senate to become the Agriculture Department’s undersecretary for rural development.
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Category: Legislative Updates
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As Congress winds down for the fiscal year – already extended – PunchBowl news reported on insiders take on what if any legislation will be passed in the very near future and what is driving current politics:
As we have been reporting before the election, provisions to address climate changes is integrated in most every bill advanced by the Administration and Democratic leaders in Congress. This week the President went beyond the US borders to address world leaders on his views on climate change.
Democrats’ massive Build Back Better bill not only protects stepped-up basis, it also includes a long-sought change in an estate-tax provision that could have far-reaching benefits for many farms.
The White House and Democratic leaders are navigating old (debt,immigration, flooding) and new (French anger at sub sale, COVID) issues in trying to pass two mammoth bills.
As part of the trillion dollar spending bill the Administration is pushing – in addition to the infrastructure bill that is awaiting a House of Representatives vote – the House Agriculture Committee began debate last week on what programs and what spending levels to send to the full House for consideration.
The Water Table Podcast: discussion on current water management issues featuring Roger Ellingson.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-water-table/id1538507698
The prices contractors pay for construction materials continued to increase in August while many firms report struggles to get those materials delivered on time, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials urged Washington officials to take steps to help address the challenges impacting the entire supply chain and driving the price escalations.
“July was the seventh-straight month of double-digit price increases for construction inputs,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Adding to the challenge, contractors are struggling to pass along even a fraction of these added costs onto their clients.”
The Agriculture Department last week announced enrollment of 2.5 million acres of grasslands into the Conservation Reserve Program, twice as much acreage as last year's signup and a major step forward for the Biden administration's goal to sharply expand the program.
As Congress considers two massive spending bill – a comprehensive infrastructure bill and what some are calling a “human” infrastructure bill – below are two examples of how complex developing, crafting and passing major legislation has become. First the text than a comparison photo of a similar bill 30 years ago.
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