Hello, NAFTA 2019 (Politico): With the legislative calendar all but precluding a vote in Congress this year, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says President Trump would accept delaying a vote to ratify the new NAFTA until 2019 if it meant a better deal.
China to increase U.S. ag imports (White House): China “will significantly increase purchases of U.S. goods and services,” including “meaningful increases in U.S. agriculture and energy exports,” the nations say in a joint statement that tamps down trade turmoil but offers no details on future sales volumes.
The muscle behind work requirements (Washington Post): Based far outside the Beltway, the Foundation for Government Accountability is one of the loudest and most persuasive voices in the House Republican drive for stricter work requirements for food stamp recipients.
NIH ends alcohol study (Washington Post): The National Institutes of Health halted a $100 million study into the possible benefits of moderate drinking, after investigations revealed it was funded by the alcohol industry.
Fatal poultry disease in California (USDA): Highly contagious virulent Newcastle disease was confirmed in the United States for the first time since 2003 in a small flock of backyard exhibition chickens in Los Angeles County, California. The disease, caused by a virus, is usually fatal to poultry but poses no threat to humans.
USDA may warn of inspections (Washington Post): The USDA’s animal-welfare agency launched a pilot project to explore whether advance notice to zoos, research labs, breeders and other facilities will improve the efficiency of its inspections and the treatment of animals.
It isn’t meat if it isn’t animal (New Food Economy): Missouri state legislators sent the governor a bill to outlaw the use of the word “meat” on products that don’t come from an animal, including lab-grown meat and plant-based proteins.