Weekly Food & Agriculture Update 9.10
WEEKLY FOOD & AGRICULTURE UPDATE
September 10, 2018
A quick look at what’s happening in Washington, D.C. that’s impacting food and agriculture. If you would like to subscribe to the receive the updates right to your inbox, please contact Marissa Dake.
Big Picture Outlook
- Schedule- Congress is out of session Monday and Tuesday, in observance of Rosh Hashana. They will resume session Wednesday through Friday.
- NAFTA – In recent developments, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland has noted that discussion has moved into a “continuous negotiation phase” which allows officials to work until a three-way deal is reached. Items to work out remain with the issues of access to the Canadian dairy market and the dispute settlement process in Chapter 19. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeated last week that Canada will “walk away and not sign a deal rather than sign a bad deal for Canadians.” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will be in Washington on Tuesday to allow for some discussion before the G-20 meeting in Argentina.
- USDA- Sec. Perdue was featured on C-Span’s “Newsmakers” program last week. When asked about more details of the trade aid package, he said he would release the background and analysis on the strategy used to calculate payments as soon as possible. Watch the full interview here.
Nominations & Confirmations
- Elad Roisman to be a member of the Security and Exchange Commission.
- Several District judges were confirmed, including: Kari Dooley, Marilyn Horan, William Jung, Alan Albright, Dominic Lanza, Robert Summerhays, Eric Tostrud, and Charles Williams.
The Week Ahead
Wednesday, September 12
- The Senate Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe will receive a briefing on free-trade zones.
Thursday, September 13
- The Senate Agriculture committee will examine perspectives on United States agricultural trade. USDA Chief Economist Dr. Robert Johansson, Undersecretary for Trade And Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney, and USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator Gregg Doud will testify.
- Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation will consider emerging transportation technologies.
A Quick Look Back
- NAFTA’s long road to completion
- Trump’s tariffs could hit $200 billion of Chinese goods this week
- USDA sees another big drop in farm income for 2018
- Pork Supply Is Choppy in China as Swine Fever Spreads
Pertinent Timing Ticker
- 20 days until the farm bill expires (Sep. 30, 2018).