house of representatives

A debt crisis faceoff and a Farm Bill deadline are two linked challenges facing U.S. agriculture this year with predictions by one Washington D.C. Ag lobbyist that Congress will meet both challenges.  Randy Russell with food and ag policy Russell Group predicts there will be no avoiding open debate this year on the debt crisis now that the Treasury has run out of borrowing authority.   “... Read M

A bipartisan group of House members is urging the Senate to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act as the end of the current Congress quickly approaches.  The House has already cleared the bipartisan legislation twice, but it continually gets held up in the Senate.  Idaho R...

We are just days away from election day 2022.  And despite several statewide races, including Governor, U.S. Senate and all House positions, at last report, voter turnout across Oregon is just over 19%.  That figure is lower than many experts expected.   Oregon Sta...

Federal lawmakers are out of D.C., for their month-long congressional recess.  Tom Donnelly, Director of Grassroots Program Development at the American Farm Bureau, said the August is the ideal time for farmers and ranchers to engage with senators and representatives, and advocate for Ag. “We h...

Dan Newhouse says he's frustrated over the lack of movement on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act.  The legislation cleared the House of Representatives in March 2021 and since then has been in a holding pattern in the Senate.  The central Washington Republican said time is running out. "Ther...

If Republicans take back a Congressional majority in November, Florida Representative Mike Waltz pledged that the House GOP would investigate the flow of Chinese money into the U.S. economy.  Waltz told Daily Mail that the steady encroachment not only poses a military threat but could also have wide-ranging impacts on the American economy.  Re...

Last week, the House and Senate each passed the Keep Kids Fed Act, but the bill had to return to the House because the Senate version was slightly different.  The Hagstrom Report said the House passed the Senate’s version of the bill that requires the re-establishment of the reduced price category that Rand Paul of Kentucky insisted on including in the Senate version. The agreeme...

Ag Labor remains one of the chief concerns for the farming community, not only due to increasing costs, but limited availability in 2022. Dan Newhouse, chair of Western Caucus said unfortunately, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which has already cleared the House is stalled in the Senate ...

As lawmakers start a new year in Washington D.C., one of the biggest questions the farming community is hoping to see addressed revolves around Ag labor and immigration reform. Dan Newhouse, coauthor of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, said despite passing the House, the legislation has stalled in the Senate, primarily because President Biden’s Build Back Better contains some provisions to a

The U.S. Meat Export Federation is applauding the House of Representatives after passing the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which looks to make it easier for American Ag products to find a ride to overseas destinations. While red meat exports are on a record pace this year, USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom said shipping delays and obstacles remain a major concern for exporters and their customers