Fudge goes to HUD: The Senate confirmed Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 66-34. Fudge resigned from the House immediately after voting in favor of the Biden administration’s coronavirus relief bill. (FERN’s Ag Insider)
Senate confirms Regan: On a 66-34 vote, the Senate confirmed Michael Regan as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, “where he’ll join an administration that has pledged aggressive action on tackling the climate crisis.” (CNN)
Grocery inflation slows: Grocery prices are 3.5 percent higher than a year ago, down from the 3.7 percent inflation rate reported a month ago, but the food-at-home index is nearly double the overall U.S. inflation rate. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Peterson is back: Former House Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson announced a strategic partnership with the agricultural consultancy Combest, Sell and Associates. (CSA)
Estate tax repeal: Two dozen Republican senators filed a bill to repeal the federal estate tax; the 2017 Trump tax cuts doubled the estate tax exemption to $10 million per person through 2025. (Sen. John Thune)