Ellyn Ferguson

Retired @CQNow journo no longer tracking Congress, USDA food, farm and trade policy. Same philosophy: Life is full of twists & turns. Try not to get lost.

[Ellyn Ferguson @vaferguson]

@PabloReports I leave you alone for a few weeks and you go off on a fantastical trip. Pablo, this is your year and you are maximizing it. Well done

[The New York Times @nytimes]

Breaking News: House Republicans abruptly canceled a vote on a resolution directing President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran or win approval from Congress to continue the war, after it became clear they lacked the votes to defeat the measure. https://t.co/2YCMl8GIbj

[Ellyn Ferguson @vaferguson]

@PabloReports @peteyandfurends Now she is the queen of all she surveys. This is a dog fairytale come true

[Ellyn Ferguson @vaferguson]

@PabloReports That was quite a run So no more easels and paintings in the background in your videos?

[Ellyn Ferguson @vaferguson]

@PabloReports What a week, Pablo.

[DTN/Progressive Farmer @dtnpf]

While pressing for improvements and changes, U.S. senators and representatives of farm and business groups defended the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on Thursday as reports suggest President Donald Trump continues to privately indicate he wants to withdraw from the trade agreement he reached in his first term.

Ag Policy Editor @ChrisClaytonDTN reports: https://t.co/rcWLyBAbiz

[Eric Katz @EricM_Katz]

SCOOP: After shedding 1000s of staff and hiring just 2% of its target for filing season, the IRS is detailing HR employees + others w/ no relevant experience to process tax returns/provide customer service. Employees predict systemic failures + skyrocketing error rates on returns

[Richard Rubin @RichardRubinDC]

New from us: Trump's tax-disclosure lawsuit against the government he runs is mind-bending.

He supervises the private attorneys demanding at least $10 billion in damages -- and also the government attorneys authorized to settle the case and pay him with federal money.

Link:

[Nathan Gonzales @nathanlgonzales]

I wrote about some concerning things Trump has said about the midterm elections before the FBI raided the Fulton County election office. My latest for @rollcall

https://t.co/TvnmHVfYWf

[Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney]

COMEDY OF ERRORS: On Jan. 12, ICE detained a Minnesota resident who had a rare "T visa" — for victims of severe human trafficking or those who aid law enforcement to thwart it – even though he had legal status.

-On Jan. 16, they urged the court to drop his case because he had been released.
-On Jan. 20, they said never mind, "she" [sic] was still in custody and had been transfered to Texas. Then they said 'Here's a declaration explaining it' and forgot to attach the declaration.
-On Jan. 22, they missed a court-ordered deadline to explain WTF was going on.

Today, a judge ordered his release and reimbursement for costs/fees. https://t.co/BgvnbbfewU

[Aidan Quigley @QuigleyAidan]

Scoop w/@jacobnfulton: Lawmakers have reached an agreement for a two-week CR for Homeland, keeping the pressure on negotiations. Will replace the full-year negotiated bill in the package. More: https://t.co/zRr5bo1FUO

[Lisa Mascaro @LisaMascaro]

Approaching the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the official plaque honoring the police who defended democracy that day is nowhere to be found.

https://t.co/J21xdXPBR2

[Jennifer Shutt @JenniferShutt]

Most ACA marketplace users can’t afford potential increases, poll shows

https://t.co/n0rdzUtbU8

[Chris Clayton @ChrisClaytonDTN]

USDA also wants states to clawback SNAP benefits.

[Ellyn Ferguson @vaferguson]

@NatPress @JenniferShutt @statesnewsroom I have always thought of @JenniferShutt as a great newsroom utility player who is capable, thorough and dedicated. Great to see @NatPress recognized this. Congratulations!

[S.A. Miller @samillertimes]

Sen. Thune rules out nuking the legislative filibuster to end the government shutdown - https://t.co/JgP97GiNqL - @washtimes @lindsemcpherson

[PJ Huffstutter @pjhuffstutter]

For the first time in more than 20 years, China hasn’t bought a single soybean from the autumn U.S. harvest. Why does that matter?

@Reuters @tpolansek reports from Illinois on the scramble to find other buyers — why this is a massive economic blow for farmers who backed Trump, and why markets like Nigeria, Vietnam, and Bangladesh are too small to replace China.

Meanwhile, Trump has promised to direct tariff revenue to farmers, who have been among his strongest supporters. But how such bailouts would work — or when they might happen — remains unclear.

https://t.co/KcXdmAiRZg

[Chad Moutray @chadmoutray]

High-earners and older Americans are faring better than ever, while fortunes are sliding again for low-wage and young workers https://t.co/OEGcBt9TWq

[Roll Call @rollcall]

GOP changes Senate rules to speed some confirmations — https://t.co/LtmxwPw4wj

[Roll Call @rollcall]

The annual defense policy bills dominate the House and Senate floor this week, with Senate Republicans also looking to speed up the confirmation of Trump’s nominees. https://t.co/Um4gdRjYCa