CFTC
Four lawyers, chief economist join Senate Ag Committee
Chairman Pat Roberts announced the hiring of eight additional staff members for the Senate Agriculture Committee, including Anne Hazlett as chief counsel and Matt Erickson as chief economist.
Roberts says regulatory overkill is top Ag Committee issue
Chairman Pat Roberts says the big issue confronting the Senate Agriculture Committee is "regulatory overkill we are experiencing with every agency" and particularly with the EPA. Roberts mentioned regulatory reform twice while listing committee priorities for this session. "We've got a lot of priorities," he said, citing reauthorization of the CFTC, the mandatory livestock price reporting law, and child nutrition programs - "big time." Regulatory reform, he said, "seems to be the big thing" in farm country.
Senate newcomers will lead three Agriculture subcommittees
Three newly elected senators - Joni Ernst of Iowa, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and David Perdue of Georgia - will chair Senate Agriculture subcommittees this session, announced Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts. In a statement, Roberts said the committee had "a hearty dose of new blood" as well as experienced veterans. “We have a lot of work to do, not only with legislation but in our robust oversight responsibilities. This posse is saddled up and ready to ride.”
House Ag chairman plans quick start on CFTC reauthorization
Chairman Mike Conaway said the House Agriculture Committee will clear a Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) reauthorization bill for House debate "as early in April as we can." The starting point will be the bill that was approved, 265-144, by the House last summer, Conaway told reporters after an organizational meeting of the committee. Conaway was one of four co-sponsors of the bill, the Consumer Protection and End User Relief Act.
CFTC says will check cyber-security at futures markets
CFTC chairman Timothy Massad said his agency, the regulator of futures exchanges, would focus on threats of cyber attacks on the derivatives industry, said Reuters, which quoted him as telling the Senate Agriculture Committee, "The risk is apparent."
PepsiCo lobbyist is named staff director for Senate Ag panel
Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts named Joel Leftwich, a lobbyist for PepsiCo, as the committee's staff director and selected one of his Senate aides, Wayne Stoskopf, as a committee staff member, said a committee statement.
Canada more recalcitrant than Japan on trade, says Vilsack
Canada "has not stepped up" in negotiations for the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. He singled out Ottawa when asked if Japan should be dropped from the discussions because of unwillingness to open its agricultural markets to imports. The question, during a meeting of the CFTC's agricultural advisory committee, came from Paul Penner of the National Association of Wheat Growers.
Omnibus bill relaxes whole grain, salt rules for school food
Congress would relax rules that call for schools to use more whole grains and to reduce salt in meals provided to students, according to provisions of a government-wide funding bill. Unveiled on Tuesday night, the bill also calls for USDA to study the nutritional content of vegetables available in the so-called WIC program before removing any of them from the program - a response to complaints that white potatoes were being singled out unfairly.
For food and agriculture, a lengthy to-do list for Congress
Congress is to open its new, two-year session on Tuesday with a hefty list of food and agriculture policy issues already on the agenda for lawmakers. The "to do" list includes reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and federal child nutrition programs such as school lunch and WIC, proposals for federal pre-emption of states in labeling foods made with genetically modified organisms, attempts to block EPA from completing its...
House panel formally sets hearing on GMO labeling
The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health scheduled a hearing for next Wednesday on labeling of GMO foods. The session, "Examining FDA's role in the regulation of genetically modified food ingredients," is expected to provide a...
Senate spat sidelines USDA funding
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid set aside the "minibus" appropriations bill that includes fiscal 2015 funding for USDA after a disagreement over how to handle amendments.
Eight amendments cleared for CFTC reuathorization debate
The House would be limited to considering eight specified amendments under the terms proposed by the Rules Committee for debate of the CFTC reauthorization bill.
Hello, CFTC reauthorization; adieu, school lunch waiver
The U.S. House may take up reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission this week. It is one of two major bills on the agenda; the other is the Defense Department appropriations bill for fiscal 2015.
House agenda: Yes to CFTC and USDA bills, no to immigration
The House could begin debate this week on the Agriculture Department funding bill for the fiscal year that opens on Oct 1, says Majority Leader Eric Cantor's office.
House Ag quickly approves chairman’s CFTC bill
Members of the House Agriculture Committe quickly approved their chairman's proposal to reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission while creating additional protection for customers' funds...
Senate panel clears CFTC nominees including new chairman
Three nominees for CFTC commissioner, including Timothy Massad for chairman, were approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday.
House Ag leaders unveil CFTC reauthorization bill
Four House Agriculture Committee leaders filed a bill to reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. A mark up is scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET. The meeting will be Webcast.
Senate confirms USDA and CFTC nominees
On Tuesday, the leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee announced that three of President Trump’s nominees have received Senate approval to begin work at the USDA and the CFTC.