Latest news with #LeahDouglas
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
USDA redaction of trade analysis causes concern about report integrity
By Julie Ingwersen and Leah Douglas CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Analysts voiced concerns this week about the integrity of U.S. Department of Agriculture reports after the agency delayed a report and excluded findings that point to tariffs as a reason for a forecasted increase in the agricultural trade deficit, according to Reuters interviews with four analysts. The administration of President Donald Trump has pledged to shrink the farm trade deficit and has said tariffs will strengthen the farm economy, but farm groups have been critical of the approach. The agency's delay of a quarterly agricultural trade report and exclusion of its typical explanatory text were concerning because the moves raised questions about the objectivity of the data, two analysts said. "The trade is uneasy about USDA statistics now," said Charlie Sernatinger, head of grains with Marex, a brokerage and financial services company. A USDA spokesperson said the report was delayed by an internal review. "The report was hung up in internal clearance process and was not finalized in time for its typical deadline. Given this report is not statutory as with many other reports USDA does, the department is undergoing a review of all of its non-statutory reports, including this one, to determine next steps," the spokesperson said. The quarterly trade outlook report jointly published by the USDA's Economic Research Service and Foreign Agricultural Service was scheduled to be released on May 29. Shortly before it was set to publish, its authors were told to stop its release, according to a source familiar with the situation. The authors were then questioned by leaders at the ERS, FAS and USDA Office of the Chief Economist about the report's attribution of the growing agriculture trade deficit to tariffs and sentiments like "Buy Canadian" that have reduced demand for U.S. goods, the source said. In the delayed report released on Monday, the USDA raised its forecast of the U.S. agriculture trade deficit for fiscal-year 2025 to $49.5 billion, from the $49 billion it previously forecast in February. The version of the report published on Monday contains correct and unaltered data, the source said, but excludes explanatory text typically contained in the forecasts. The report delay and redaction were first reported by Politico. Such trade reports would typically be reviewed by communications and policy staff, but the removal of the explanatory text was highly unusual, according to a second source familiar with the report publication process. Two other analysts said they were confident in the USDA data for now, but expressed concern about how Trump's disruption of the federal government could affect future reports. "Departures of key personnel limit the ability of agencies to collect and analyze information," said Patrick Westhoff, director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri. The USDA has lost about 27% of ERS employees and 14% of FAS employees to terminations or voluntary incentives to leave the agency as the Trump administration works to reduce the size and cost of the federal government, according to Reuters reporting. The U.S. had an agricultural trade surplus for decades but in recent years, imports of high-value goods like alcohol, fruits and vegetables have driven a growing deficit, according to USDA data.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
USDA redaction of trade analysis causes concern about report integrity
By Julie Ingwersen and Leah Douglas CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Analysts voiced concerns this week about the integrity of U.S. Department of Agriculture reports after the agency delayed a report and excluded findings that point to tariffs as a reason for a forecasted increase in the agricultural trade deficit, according to Reuters interviews with four analysts. The administration of President Donald Trump has pledged to shrink the farm trade deficit and has said tariffs will strengthen the farm economy, but farm groups have been critical of the approach. The agency's delay of a quarterly agricultural trade report and exclusion of its typical explanatory text were concerning because the moves raised questions about the objectivity of the data, two analysts said. "The trade is uneasy about USDA statistics now," said Charlie Sernatinger, head of grains with Marex, a brokerage and financial services company. A USDA spokesperson said the report was delayed by an internal review. "The report was hung up in internal clearance process and was not finalized in time for its typical deadline. Given this report is not statutory as with many other reports USDA does, the department is undergoing a review of all of its non-statutory reports, including this one, to determine next steps," the spokesperson said. The quarterly trade outlook report jointly published by the USDA's Economic Research Service and Foreign Agricultural Service was scheduled to be released on May 29. Shortly before it was set to publish, its authors were told to stop its release, according to a source familiar with the situation. The authors were then questioned by leaders at the ERS, FAS and USDA Office of the Chief Economist about the report's attribution of the growing agriculture trade deficit to tariffs and sentiments like "Buy Canadian" that have reduced demand for U.S. goods, the source said. In the delayed report released on Monday, the USDA raised its forecast of the U.S. agriculture trade deficit for fiscal-year 2025 to $49.5 billion, from the $49 billion it previously forecast in February. The version of the report published on Monday contains correct and unaltered data, the source said, but excludes explanatory text typically contained in the forecasts. The report delay and redaction were first reported by Politico. Such trade reports would typically be reviewed by communications and policy staff, but the removal of the explanatory text was highly unusual, according to a second source familiar with the report publication process. Two other analysts said they were confident in the USDA data for now, but expressed concern about how Trump's disruption of the federal government could affect future reports. "Departures of key personnel limit the ability of agencies to collect and analyze information," said Patrick Westhoff, director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri. The USDA has lost about 27% of ERS employees and 14% of FAS employees to terminations or voluntary incentives to leave the agency as the Trump administration works to reduce the size and cost of the federal government, according to Reuters reporting. The U.S. had an agricultural trade surplus for decades but in recent years, imports of high-value goods like alcohol, fruits and vegetables have driven a growing deficit, according to USDA data. Error al recuperar los datos Inicia sesión para acceder a tu cartera de valores Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Climate
- Japan Today
FEMA staff confused after head said he was unaware of US hurricane season, sources say
By Leah Douglas, Ted Hesson and Nathan Layne Staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency were left baffled on Monday after the head of the U.S. disaster agency said he had not been aware the country has a hurricane season, according to four sources familiar with the situation. The remark was made during a briefing by David Richardson, who has led FEMA since early May. It was not clear to staff whether he meant it literally, as a joke, or in some other context. The U.S. hurricane season officially began on Sunday and lasts through November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast last week that this year's season is expected to bring as many as 10 hurricanes. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA's parent agency, said the comment was a joke and that FEMA is prepared for hurricane season. The spokesperson said under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Richardson "FEMA is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens." Richardson said during the briefing that there would be no changes to the agency's disaster response plans despite having told staff to expect a new plan in May, the sources told Reuters. Richardson's comments come amid widespread concern that the departures of a raft of top FEMA officials, staff cuts and reductions in hurricane preparations will leave the agency ill-prepared for a storm season forecast to be above normal. Democrats criticized Richardson following the Reuters report. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posted the Reuters headline about Richardson on X and said he was "unaware of why he hasn't been fired yet." Representative Bennie Thompson, the senior Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee with oversight of FEMA, issued a statement to Reuters that read: "Suffice to say, disaster response is no joke. If you don't know what or when hurricane season is, you're not qualified to run FEMA. Get someone knowledgeable in there.' Hurricanes kill dozens of people and cost hundreds of millions of dollars annually across a swath of U.S. states every year. The storms have become increasingly more destructive and costly due to the effects of climate change. Richardson's comment purporting ignorance about hurricane season spread among agency staff, spurring confusion and reigniting concern about his lack of familiarity with FEMA's operations, said three sources. Richardson, who has no disaster response experience, said during Monday's briefing, a daily all-hands meeting held by phone and videoconference, that he will not be issuing a new disaster plan because he does not want to make changes that might counter the FEMA Review Council, the sources said. President Donald Trump created the council to evaluate FEMA. Its members include DHS head Noem, governors and other officials. In a May 15 staff town hall, Richardson said a disaster plan, including tabletop exercises, would be ready for review by May 23. CONFUSION The back-and-forth on updating the disaster plan and a lack of clear strategic guidance have created confusion for FEMA staff, said one source. Richardson has evoked his military experience as a former Marine artillery officer in conversations with staff. Before joining FEMA, he was assistant secretary at DHS' office for countering weapons of mass destruction, which he has told staff he will continue to lead. Richardson was appointed as the new chief of FEMA last month after his predecessor, Cameron Hamilton, was abruptly fired. Hamilton had publicly broken with Trump over the future of the agency, but sources told Reuters that Trump allies had already been maneuvering to oust him because they were unhappy with what they saw as Hamilton's slow-moving effort to restructure FEMA. Trump has said FEMA should be shrunk or even eliminated, arguing states can take on many of its functions, as part of a wider downsizing of the federal government. About 2,000 full-time FEMA staff, one-third of its total, have been terminated or voluntarily left the agency since the start of the Trump administration in January. Despite Noem's prior comments that she plans to eliminate FEMA, in May she approved Richardson's request to retain more than 2,600 short-term disaster response and recovery employees whose terms were set to expire this year, one of the sources said, confirming an earlier report by NBC News. Those short-term staff make up the highest proportion of FEMA employees, about 40%, and are a pillar of the agency's on-the-ground response efforts. FEMA recently sharply reduced hurricane training and workshops for state and local emergency managers due to travel and speaking restrictions imposed on staff, according to prior Reuters reporting. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
US farm agency to allow Iowa, Indiana to bar junk food and soda from food aid
By Leah Douglas WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Thursday that she had signed waivers from Iowa and Indiana that would allow the states to bar the purchase of some processed foods and sugary drinks with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. President Donald Trump's administration has encouraged states to submit such waivers to the Department of Agriculture as part of its Make America Healthy Again initiative led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Rollins said at a White House event celebrating the release of a report on childhood disease that she had signed the two waivers earlier in the day and that more approvals would be forthcoming. "We are on track to sign multiples of SNAP waivers to get junk food and sugary drinks out of our food stamp system," Rollins said. Rollins on Monday announced she had signed a similar waiver from Nebraska. The state will exclude all sodas and energy drinks from SNAP purchases beginning January 1, 2026, according to a copy of the waiver on the USDA website. More than 42 million Americans receive benefits through SNAP, the nation's largest food aid program.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Exclusive-US farm agency cancels food aid for children in poor countries
By Leah Douglas WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has terminated 17 projects under a foreign aid program that funds school meals for children in low-income countries, according to an email sent from USDA to congressional staff. The cuts to the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program are in addition to 27 projects canceled last week under USDA's Food for Progress aid program, which sends U.S. commodities abroad for economic development. Those cuts were previously reported by Reuters. The terminations are another blow to U.S. foreign aid initiatives as President Donald Trump slashes government spending, leaving food intended for aid programs to rot in warehouses. The moves have raised concerns about increased hunger abroad. In all, 44 projects have been canceled in countries including Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone and Nepal. The projects are "not in alignment with the foreign assistance objectives of the Trump Administration," said the email sent to congressional staff, which was seen by Reuters. A USDA spokesperson said the programs were canceled in accordance with a January 20 executive order on aligning foreign aid with U.S. interests. Earlier, the White House and the Department of Government Efficiency had pressured the USDA to reduce spending on overseas programs, according to a source familiar with the situation. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Twelve of the canceled McGovern-Dole projects are administered by the Catholic Relief Services, according to the email. Haydee Diaz, CRS's country representative in Honduras, said the group's program there serves 97,000 children across more than 1,700 schools in rural municipalities where malnutrition and stunting - a condition where children's growth is hindered due to a lack of adequate food - are serious issues. The program uses corn, rice, beans and a fortified soy blend from U.S. farmers for school meals that are prepared by 10,000 volunteers, Diaz said. The aid can help reduce migration to the U.S. because it provides parents the assurance their children will at least have one healthy meal per day in their home community, Diaz said. "What we'll see is more desperation, and more migration," Diaz said. U.S. farmers have received payment for the donated commodities and grantees must deliver commodities to their final destinations, said the email to Congress. Grantees were told by the USDA to dispose of their commodities within 30 days, according to another source familiar with the situation. That could mean giving the food away, or destroying it, the source said. Diaz said her program aims to distribute as much of the aid as it can in the short window. Despite the cuts, the USDA is still administering 14 remaining Food for Progress projects in 17 countries and 30 McGovern-Dole projects in 22 countries, the email said. The agency has also published a funding notice for next year's McGovern-Dole program and is finalizing the funding notice for Food for Progress, the email said. McGovern-Dole fed 2.5 million food-insecure children in 2023, according to a program report to Congress. McGovern-Dole awards totaled $248 million and sent more than 37,000 metric tonnes of U.S. commodities abroad.
