North Carolina Governor Begs Trump To End Shutdown So State Can Use Hurricane Aid

Hayley Miller © ASSOCIATED PRESS President Donald Trump listens to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, left, during a presidential visit Sept. 19 to areas impacted by Hurricane Florence. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) on Wednesday implored President Donald Trump to end the partial government shutdown in order to unlock funds meant to help the battered state recover from a destructive hurricane season. The shutdown, which began Dec. 22, poses a significant risk to North Carolina’s farming economy and its ability to rebuild after deadly Hurricane Florence pummeled the state in September, Cooper wrote in a letter to the president. “The people of North Carolina are strong and are working hard to rebuild,” Cooper wrote. “But we are equally determined to hold the federal government to its promise of help.” “During your visit following Hurricane Florence, you promised me the 100 percent support of the federal government in North Carolina’s recovery,” the letter continued. “This shutdown makes that promise harder to keep. Please work with Congressional leaders to end this shutdown so our communities can rebuild quickly and effectively.” Florence left 41 people dead in North Carolina and dumped an estimated 8 trillion gallons of water, flooding homes and businesses across the state. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in September designated $1.68 billion for states impacted by 2018 storms, but hasn’t notified those states about how much funding they will receive, Cooper wrote. Additionally, HUD awarded North Carolina $168 million last April to make state’s flood-prone areas safer, but the state is unable to use those funds until guidance is published in the Federal Register, which cannot happen during a shutdown, the governor added. “The government shutdown is also threatening the livelihood of our farmers, many of whom were swamped by the same hurricane waters that destroyed homes and businesses,” Cooper wrote. “Help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for hurricane affected farms is unavailable, and farmers hoping to plan for this year’s planting season are running out of time.” North Carolina farmers and livestock producers suffered an estimated $1.1 billion in losses due to Florence, which killed at least 5,500 hogs and 4.1 million chickens and turkeys, the state’s Department of Agriculture announced in September. The weekslong budget impasse centers on Trump’s demand for $5 billion to build his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Several agencies, including the USDA and the Department of Homeland Security, have been affected by the shutdown. About 800,000 federal workers across the country have been furloughed or, if deemed essential, continue to work without pay. The White House did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

Trump farm bailout money will go to Brazilian-owned meatpacking firm, USDA says Jeff Stein

Americans Increasingly See The Government Shutdown As Serious Joshua Tree to stay open as park service uses fee revenue amid shutdown © Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in October. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) U.S. taxpayers will buy about $5 million in pork products from a Brazilian-owned meatpacking firm under President Trump’s bailout program, which was designed to help American farmers hurt by the administration’s trade war, according to documents released Wednesday. JBS, one of the biggest meatpacking companies in the world, will sell 1.8 million pounds of pork products through a Trump bailout program that buys surplus commodities from farmers and ranchers, say records published by the Agricultural Marketing Service, a branch of the Agriculture Department. Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today’s most popular stories on The Washington Post The administration has pitched its $12 billion bailout program as necessary to help farmers weather the long-running trade war with China, but critics have questioned whether funding will also enrich large and foreign-owned firms. The bulk of the program consists of direct cash payments to farmers hurt by the downturn, although those payments have stalled amid the partial government shutdown. Agriculture Department officials announced Tuesday they are extending the deadline for applying for aid under this program by several weeks at a minimum. As part of the bailout, the administration is also buying $1.2 billion in surplus products from farmers, including more than $500 million from pork producers, for distribution to food banks across the country. In November 2018, a Chinese-owned pork firm rescinded its bid for bailout money after a backlash on Capitol Hill over the award. Smithfield Foods, owned by the Chinese conglomerate WH Group, had been awarded $240,000 in pork payments under the bailout program set up to help farmers weather the White House’s trade war with China. Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) criticized the payment, arguing taxpayer money should not go to an international firm. JBS USA, with about 73,000 employees and 44 plants domestically, recorded more meat and poultry sales in the United States than any other company, according to rankings published by the trade journal National Provisioner. The company is owned and controlled by Sao Paulo, Brazil-based JBS SA, which boasts more than 200,000 employees worldwide, according to its website. “Why is USDA rewarding another foreign-owned meatpacker through its meat procurement program after the blowback it received from purchasing pork products from Chinese-owned Smithfield?” asked Tony Corbo, senior lobbyist at Food and Water Watch, which tracks federal agriculture programs. The Agricultural Marketing Service, which is administering the purchase program, said in a statement earlier this year that the products it will buy are “100 [percent] American produced.” Agriculture Department officials previously said qualified vendors who work for the agency, including Smithfield and JBS, would be allowed to make purchases under the program. “USDA only buys American commodities, produced on American farms by American farmers,” a USDA spokesperson said in an email. “Approved vendors who choose to participate in USDA food purchasing programs, regardless of their business structure or domicile, provide direct benefits to U.S. farmers and ranchers.” American Custom Meats, Chicago Meat and Proportion Foods also will sell products to USDA under the bailout program, according to agency documents.

Ocasio-Cortez suggests individual tax rates as high as 70%

By:   Victor Reklaitis

© Getty Images Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leaves a photo opp with the female Democratic members of the 116th Congress on Friday. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is drawing attention Friday for suggesting that the wealthiest Americans ought to pay a tax rate of as high as 70% in order to fund a “Green New Deal.”

The new Democratic congresswoman from New York noted there is historical precedent for a high tax rate for the super wealthy, as she said the following:

“You look at our tax rates back in the 60s, and when you have a progressive tax rate system, your tax rate, let’s say, from $0 to $75,000 may be 10% or 15%, etc. But once you get to the tippy tops, on your 10-millionth dollar, sometimes you see tax rates as high as 60% or 70%.” — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat

Her remarks came in an interview with Anderson Cooper for the CBS show “60 Minutes.” Excerpts for her appearance have been released, ahead of a full broadcast on Sunday.
“That doesn’t mean all $10 million are taxed at an extremely high rate, but it means that as you climb up this ladder, you should be contributing more,” said the lawmaker, who also got attention this week thanks to a dance video from her college years that went viral.
After Cooper said Ocasio-Cortez’s agenda is “radical” compared to how politics is done now, the congresswoman embraced that word.
“It only has ever been radicals that have changed this country,” she said. “Abraham Lincoln made the radical decision to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. Franklin Delano Roosevelt made the radical decision to embark on establishing programs like Social Security.”
“If that’s what radical means, call me a radical,” Ocasio-Cortez added.
Read more: Ocasio-Cortez slams budget rule pushed by Democratic leaders
The term “Green New Deal” refers to a stimulus program backed by many progressives that intends to address both climate change and economic inequality.
House Democrats on Thursday created a new select committee on climate change, but it has been denounced by environmental activists who want a bolder approach.