Washington Insider

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is about to deliver results of an auto-imports probe to president. It notes that "no American industry is lobbying hard for them. Most economists think they're a bad idea. Even some trade hawks in President Trump's...

The current debates cover a great deal of ground and the Washington Post says that the President went even further last week when he "detoured into some 19th-Century policy stuff on Tariffs." In response, the Post published a piece by Daniel Drezner...

There is a lot of uncertainty in Washington this week, but Bloomberg says the next meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be soon -- as U.S. officials are seen gathering in Beijing this week.

There is little confidence in Washington that a second government shutdown will be avoided. That is a problem, the Washington Post says, because the "mere threat of another shutdown may mean lasting damage to the federal workforce."

Resolving the current trade war so that China lifts tariffs on U.S. soybean imports must be a key outcome from ongoing trade talks between the two countries, the American Soybean Association (ASA) said in a release.

The New York Times is reporting this week that although President Trump lauded his new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico in his State of the Union address and urged Congress to pass the revised pact, the deal is currently imperiled in Congress. Both...

The State of the Union speech went about as expected Tuesday night and most of the previous uncertainties are still uncertain. Still, there are earnest declarations that the president's demands will not intrude in the Congressional negotiations, in spite of...

In what most observers saw as a tight defensive Super Bowl game, a somewhat surprising ag issue surfaced: That Bud Light advertisement which went after corn syrup.

There are many, many important issues on the table in Washington these days and one of the most important is the FY2020 budget proposal. Bloomberg says that while lawmakers don't know when they'll get President Donald Trump's fiscal 2020 budget proposal...

There's an unusually significant moment for the United States ahead of Tuesday's State of the Union Address. That highly-charged address, delayed by the aftermath of the government shutdown, now falls on week jam-packed with U.S. and global economic and...

USDA announced it has awarded $200 million to 57 groups via the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP) in a bid to help the sector "mitigate the effects of unjustified trade retaliation against U.S. farmers and exporters." The effort is aimed at helping...

There is considerable interest these days in examining the impacts of various trade policies, including tariffs on the affected industries. This week, Bloomberg is reporting that a visit to an Indiana steel plant "helps explain why the much-ballyhooed steel...

The European Commission (EC) confirmed that U.S. soybeans meet the technical requirements to be used in biofuels within the European Union (EU) and has formally recognized the plan until July 1, 2021.

The tensions in Washington are not really over, it seems. Administration officials are describing their determination to construct their wall, come what may, while the media are busy describing efforts to prevent future shutdowns.

Bloomberg is reporting this weekend that China is charging that the Trump Administration's tariffs violate WTO's most favored nation rules. The result, Bloomberg says, is that current complicated tensions between the U.S. and China are about to get more...

Most people are worried that the government shutdown won't end as soon as they would like. Bloomberg notes that it risks putting a dent in both the dollar and Treasuries if it drags on. However, it also thinks a "quick resolution could do the same...

The Hill is reporting an unusual development in Congress. With Democrats back in control of the House, The Hill reports "strong support" for reviving Congressional earmarks, the power to direct money for pet projects. "Earmarking" had fallen into disfavor...

The Washington Post is reporting from Davos, Switzerland, this week at the World Economic Forum. It says that fears are rising about the state of the world's biggest economies with China posting its worst annual growth in decades and the United States...

This week The Hill is carrying a letter from a former USDA official who suggests that despite the President's assurances to the Farm Bureau's annual meeting "that he had their backs on trade," members are beginning to display "much unease."

According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), more than $13 billion in duties imposed by the Trump administration were assessed on imported goods as of Dec. 18. Actual collections could lag and be lower because of refunds and other...