U.S. Senate

The Senate will vote whether or not to confirm Tom Vilsack as Agriculture Secretary next week. The exact time is uncertain, but the Senate calendar has the vote planned for Tuesday, February 23rd. The Senate will debate the nomination for 20 minutes before voting, with the majority and minority parties receiving equal time ...

Late last week, Washington Senator Maria Cantwell took to the Senate Floor calling for more to be done to fight wildfires now and to prevent them into the future. First, Cantwell called on President Trump to help the U.S. reach out to the international community for additional firefighters ...

A bill that would make it easier to kill sea lions that feast on salmon in the Columbia River has cleared the U.S. Senate.  Wildlife managers say rebounding numbers of sea lions are eating more salmon than ever and their appetites are undermining billions of dollars of investments to restore endangered fish runs.  ...

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, and Idaho’s Mike Crapo introduced an amendment to the Senate Farm Bill Tuesday.  Their proposal would increase the ability of the Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research to receive federal grant funding.  Research...

President Trump’s tariffs and the GOP push for tougher food stamp work requirements are complicating Senate farm bill debate.  Senate farm bill amendment debate was supposed to start with a rider to expand and improve the Conservation Reserve Program.  But, a c...

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue was in Chicago this week for the United Fresh Produce Show.  While there, he addressed the progress of the Farm Bill.  He sounded optimistic when mentioning the Senate's Cloture vote.   "Hopefully that means we can get to a Farm Bill prior to expiration in September."   Supp...

The Senate early this week showed large support for the farm bill, or at least debate on the bill. The procedural cloture vote Monday passed easily, 89-3. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the chamber has the opportunity to finalize this bill this week...

Legislation introduced last week in the U.S. Senate would revise existing trucking regulations to make the rules more flexible for drivers hauling livestock, according to the National Pork Producers Council. The “Modernizing Agricultural Transportation Act” would establish a working group at the Department of Transportation to examine the federal Hours of Service rules and the Electronic Logging D

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing Thursday regarding the Trump Administration’s trade policy. The Hagstrom Report said that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will be the lone witness at the proceedings.  The committee chair, Republican Orrin Hatch of Utah, has been critical of President Donald Trump’s announced trade tariffs.   Hatch said i...

The Senate agriculture committee has two new members to start the year.  Tina Smith, a Democrat from Minnesota, has joined the committee, along with Nebraska Republican Deb Fischer.   Smith was recently appointed to take the seat of resigned Senator Al Franken.  She takes th...