At a hearing today to review the agenda for upcoming World Trade Organization (WTO) talks, Committee members criticized U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman for categorizing supplemental Agricultural Marketing Transition (AMTA) Payments as "trade distorting payments", as Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) immediately sent a formal request to the Secretary urging him to change the classification f... Read more »
At a hearing today of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry, Members led by Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) reviewed legislation requiring the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish an electronic filing and retrieval system, giving farmers the ability to communicate with USDA through the Internet. "This bill is about access, it's about ... Read more »
Members of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture questioned USDA Secretary Dan Glickman on whether his proposed change to a national uniform LDP rate will do more harm than good, if enacted. Producers' management decisions have included the possibility of collecting Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs), which are now adjusted to cost factors at the local level and vary from county-to-county. Wednesda... Read more »
To give producers a full understanding of a nationally uniform LDP rate under consideration by USDA Secretary Dan Glickman, the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture will hold a hearing on Wednesday, June 16. Secretary Glickman today accepted the invitation of Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) for the USDA Secretary to testify at the hearing to explain proposed changes in the Loan ... Read more »
At a hearing today of the House Agriculture Committee, Members led by Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) urged the Clinton Administration to move quickly on its policy of removing agricultural products from unilateral sanctions and to expand this policy to allow credit guarantees and other export assistance. "The use of economic sanctions is a subject that has captured the attention of all of us who a... Read more »
At a hearing today of the Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Resource Conservation and Credit, Members led by Chairman Bill Barrett (R-NE) reviewed the possible effects that electric deregulation as proposed by the Clinton Administration will have on rural areas. "It's quite possible that electric restructuring in some form could have a positive effect on utilities and some of ... Read more »
Deep Concerns over USDA Changes to LDP Ag Chairman, Vice Chairman tell Ag Secretary, "First, do no harm House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) and Vice Chairman Bill Barrett (R-NE) have expressed their deep concern to Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman regarding the timing and process for his contemplated changes to the Loan Deficiency Payment (LDP) program. "U.S. farmers and th... Read more »
Congress gave final funding approval Thursday to emergency farm credit needs and Farm Service Agency (FSA) operations, while also addressing immediate shortfalls in the current year's USDA budget. Producers in many states have been unable to receive loans for spring planting while millions of dollars that remained in other USDA loan accounts were held back by USDA Secretary Dan Glickman. House Agr... Read more »
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry, led by Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), today held a hearing to review a proposal put forth by a national coalition of school board leaders to resolve the continuing problems facing rural communities under the "twenty-five percent county payment" system. "Our national forests are in desperate need of ma... Read more »
DATE: May 18, 1999 Members React to Court Decision on EPA Air Regs On Friday, May 14th, The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), stating that the EPA overstepped its legal and constitutional authority. Today, Committee leaders expressed their approval and relief with the Court's decision. "The court's d... Read more »
