A congressional amendment about that delayed trade report
Spoiler alert: It failed
Welcome to my free newsletter. I’m a reporter at POLITICO where I cover the politics and policy of food and agriculture. This will be where I occasionally share what I’ve been writing and thinking.
A little background for new subscribers: I started in journalism as a writing fellow for The American Prospect, where I wrote about immigration, labor and criminal justice. Then, I worked for The Capitol Forum covering anti-monopoly policy before moving to POLITICO. I’ve lived in Washington, D.C. for six years, and I grew up outside of Cleveland.
Here’s what I wrote:
Earlier this month, I broke the news that Trump administration officials delayed a government trade forecast because they didn’t like what it said about the increasing trade deficit for farm goods. While Trump officials ultimately didn’t change the raw data, officials did redact the typical written analysis that accompanies the report for the same reason when it ultimately published, my sources told me.
The story hit a nerve. These are routine reports that farmers, businesses and policymakers rely on. Reports like these — such as the latest inflation and employment numbers — are crucial to understanding what’s really going on in the economy. The same day my story ran, The Wall Street Journal had a piece about how the Labor Department’s staffing shortages were hampering the latest inflation report. Even a whiff that an administration might be meddling in these government reports can spark alarm. My story showed that, for at least some reports, the administration is already doing so.
“Objectivity is really key here and the public depends on it,” Joe Glauber, a former USDA chief economist told me. “To lose that trust would be terrible.”
While the report is not currently required by statute, it has come out on time and largely in its current form for decades. My reporting — and that of Reuters, which had a good story on the delay a few days later — prompted concern among lawmakers.
During the debate over the proposed fiscal 2026 budget, Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) introduced an amendment requiring the USDA secretary to notify lawmakers “in writing 30 prior to cancelling, discontinuing, or otherwise suspending any analysis or reports.” Specifically, the amendment also required the government trade forecast in question be published “Not later than the end of each fiscal quarter,” including all the “accompanying analysis.”
It failed 26-35. No surprise there.
Also last week, during a five-hour testimony in front of the House Agriculture Committee, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins also faced questions from Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) about the report’s delay.
Here’s an excerpt, edited for length, of their exchange:
Rep. Brown: Why was the report delayed and incomplete? And was the delay related to the report showing a worsening trade deficit in farm goods?
Sec. Rollins: I will look into that and get back to you. It's my understanding that we wanted to make sure it was complete, that the citations were correct and that the review was done in total.
Rep. Brown: Did your team remove the explanatory text from the report specifically because it attributed to the growing trade deficit to the Trump administration's tariff regime?
Sec. Rollins: It is my understanding that that was not the case, but we'll look into that.
Rep. Brown: Will you commit to publishing data and reports that are complete and free from tampering of the underlying data?
Sec. Rollins: We just have to make sure our internal review process is in place, but yes, we will work around the clock to ensure it is the correct data that gets out at the right time to make the most impact for our farmers and ranchers.
The next agricultural trade outlook is due Aug. 28.
One more read:
Michelle Obama was once vilified by the right for pushing healthier school lunches and a ban on trans fats. Now, the same issues of diet-related chronic disease have been embraced by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement.
I called her top nutrition adviser and former White House chef Sam Kass to see what he makes of this brave new world and why Democrats have lost ground with voters who want access to healthy and safe foods.
“If there’s some common ground to be found with Republicans, then great. We could get a lot done,” he told me. “But we can’t just turn over the keys to this issue to people who are not serious.”
Read our conversation for POLITICO Magazine in full here.
The latest on the “Big, Beautiful Bill” for food and agriculture: My colleagues Grace Yarrow and Meredith Lee Hill have the latest on the proposed SNAP cuts.
Help me close my tabs:
The hidden cost of your supermarket sea bass - The Guardian
This overlooked cause of PTSD is only going to get worse - Vox
The Dizzying Rise of MAHA Warrior Calley Means, RFK Jr.’s Right-Hand Man - Vanity Fair
John Deere’s Plans for Offsetting $500 million in tariffs costs - The Wall Street Journal
The Fish that Climbed a Mountain - Long Reads
FTC dismisses lawsuit against PepsiCo that was filed by Biden-era FTC - Associated Press
History You Can Eat - The New York Times
Currently cooking:
NYT Cooking’s green pasta salad Delicious hot or cold!
Currently reading:
House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. And here’s her great interview in The New York Times if you missed it.
No Longer Newsworthy by Christopher R. Martin
Have feedback? Ideas? Tips? Reading recs?
Email me at marciabrown@politico.com or get in touch securely on Signal at marciagbrown.68. You can also find me on X, formerly Twitter,and Bluesky. Do you think I should join another social media platform? Tell me!