Senate confirms Taylor as USDA trade chief
On a voice vote on Wednesday, senators approved the nomination of Alexis Taylor, Oregon state agriculture director for the past six years, as USDA undersecretary for trade. Taylor has said her priorities would be opening foreign markets to U.S. farm exports and the diligent enforcement of trade agreements.
DOT and USDA tell shipping lines to improve export service
Two cabinet secretaries threatened disciplinary action against a dozen cargo lines if they do not speed up service at West Coast ports quickly. In a letter to shipping executives, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urged the shippers to turn to underutilized ports and to stop bypassing U.S. ag exports.