Goldilocks Trade with China and Pruitt Sworn In

Goldilocks Trade with China and Pruitt Sworn In

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
From the Ag Information Network, I'm Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.

A diverse group of panelists at an International Trade Association event last week agreed with popular criticism that the U.S.-China trade relationship is unbalanced, but that the Trump administration should tread lightly in demanding reforms.

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation president, Robert Atkinson advises using the Goldilocks strategy, because, "we've been way too soft on China, but tilting to the exact opposite won't work either."

Obama Administration chief Ag negotiator, Darci Vetter agrees, saying China needs to change some things, but American farmers depend heavily on trade.

Should SNAP recipients be allowed to use their benefits to buy soda or other items usually considered to be unhealthy?

That was the question considered by the House Agriculture Committee at a hearing last week, but there was no definitive answer.

A report released by the Food and Nutrition Service in November found that SNAP recipients spent about 20 cents of every dollar on "sweetened drinks, desserts, salty snacks, candy, and sugar."

Research fellow in poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute, Angela Rachidi said "SNAP households spent more on sweetened beverages than fruits and milk combined."

A 52-46 Senate vote confirmed Scott Pruitt as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, clearing the way for him to begin working to remove or soften Obama-era regulations on Ag and Energy.

The former Oklahoma attorney general, who has sued the EPA more than a dozen times, was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Friday afternoon.

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