Senate

The Congressional Budget Office released a second cost analysis for the revised AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2024.  Radio Ink says the scoring still bodes well for radio.   The estimated budgetary effects of the Senate and House bills are similar.  The CBO esti...

Front and Center for the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday, disaster assistance and what a federal package should include.  A variety of federal officials testified before senators Wednesday, including Deputy Ag Secretary Xochitl Torres Small.   “...

Farm Bill challenges will not go away in 2025 if Congress has to punt again on the top farming legislation; that, from a top American Farm Bureau official.  AFBF Director of Government Affairs Joe Gilson said there will be many challenges next year, since there will be a new Congress, new representatives, new senators, and a debt selling issue to address.  All of ...

Congress may take the only Farm Bill action politically possible this month, which is to extend the old Farm Bill yet again.   “In the Senate, we can’t reach an agreement that reflects what the House has done in a bipartisan way to make sure the next five-year farm bill reflects the inflation in agriculture that has been obvious since 2018," noted Senate Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa.   I

A Congressional Review Act, or CRA, put forward by both Idaho senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, cleared the Senate Thursday, challenging the Biden administration’s Waters of the United States rule, which grossly expands federal regulatory authority over water.   “...

The Senate failed to act on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act last year.  We asked Mark Powers with the Northwest Horticultural Council his thoughts, and if he expects to see Ag labor/immigration reform anytime soon.     If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-9791, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsqu...

After nearly two years vacant, the Senate confirmed Doug McKalip to be Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the United States Trade Representative Thursday.  After the vote, USTR, Katherine Tai said McKalip has generated broad, bipartisan support from Members of Congress, governors, and state agriculture commissioners, and also received strong endorsements from key stakeholders.  Tai add...

The Senate’s $1.7 trillion spending bill to finish this fiscal year boosts agricultural research, rural development, and nutrition, but doesn’t include long-fought cattle market reforms.  The more than 4,000-page bill leaves out controversial legislation sought by Senator Chuck Grassley to force some cattle price negotiating by major packers, known as the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Ac

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...

Labor demands continue to tax the bottom lines of farmers and ranchers, with rising wage rates and record usage of the H-2A visa program.  The American Farm Bureau Federation said meaningful reforms to the federal government's guest worker program must be a priority for Congress by the end of the year.  AFBF an...