House Budget Unlikely to Pass & NASS Reports Suspended

House Budget Unlikely to Pass & NASS Reports Suspended plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

The House has put forth a budget proposal that they say will balance the budget and even see a surplus by 2023 but according to top House Democrat Collin Peterson it really has no chance of passing.

PETERSON: Will the President take every one of these solutions? Probably not. Are a lot of the solutions very popular and did we win these arguments in the campaign? Some of us think so. And so what we are saying is, here is our offer. Here’s our vision. Here’s how we propose to balance the budget and grow the economy, repair the safety net, save Medicare. We hope that the Senate actually follows suit and shows their vision.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's statistical arm says it won't issue some agricultural reports this year because of the automatic federal budget cuts taking effect. The National Agricultural Statistics Service says the reports being suspended this year include the agency's July tally of cattle, which is used by the beef industry, milk production and reports for catfish, potatoes, rice and fruit and vegetables. It says the decision was not made lightly but it was necessary given the agency's funding.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

Whether you care for soda or not, you should have been watching carefully the progress of New York Mayer Bloomberg’s proposed ban on large soft drink servings. Why? Because if allowed to continue it would most certainly have created a domino affect across the country where more and more bureaucrats would feel confident to overstep their authority by limiting or banning perfectly legal substances “because they know what is best for all of us”. Earlier this week a New York State Supreme Court Judge found that Bloomberg’s proposed soda ban was illegal, calling it “arbitrary and capricious”. Even many of those who have made it their mission to promote healthy eating agreed that while Bloomberg’s ban on large sodas was perhaps well intentioned, it never the less would amount to nothing more than the outlawing of people’s liberty. There are better ways to promote healthy living than the removal of a person’s right to choose. Where do we draw the line when it comes to food and drink bans and prohibitions? If we start with sodas, do when then move on to what is normally found served along side the soda? Hot dogs, cheese covered nachos, candy bars, butter slathered popcorn - are these all next on the foods that shall not be offered list?

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.