Appointment Hostages The number of presidential nominees being held hostage in the U.S. Senate is notable for several reasons:
Placing a hold on an appointee is typically a tactic used against the White House by the opposing party in the Senate, but now it is being actively exercised by Republicans against their own party’s leader. Many of the holds relate to trade or agriculture such as the following:
- Senator Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) is holding up Chief Agriculture Negotiator-designee Gregg Doud because U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Lighthizer has yet to respond to him on the ill effects of the proposed expedited safeguard for perishables in the NAFTA renegotiation. - Senator Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) is blocking two U...
What You Need to Know Today: After a period of limited activity, USDA reported a sizeable 613 KMT in soybean export sales, including 330 KMT to China and 283 KMT to unknown destinations, potentially also China. The purchases represent a meaningful pickup in demand and bring China closer to ful...
Key Takeaways: Consumer spending is a key driver of the U.S. economy, and the latest retail sales data indicate that spending remains robust despite inflation. In September, total retail and food service sales rose more than 6 percent year-over-year, with food service spending up 7 percent and...
The Trump import plan for 300,000 MT of beef supplies used for ground beef, i.e., lean trim, from September through November has, according to Secretary Brooke Rollins, brought some relief to beef prices. The Executive Order states that the Secretary of Agriculture will analyze and review the m...
