In The News

The Latest: This past week, President Biden announced an upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia to beg them to increase oil production as gas prices reached record-high levels in America and domestic energy production remains inhibited by the President’s anti-American energy agenda.   The hypocrisy of this move cannot be overstated – President Biden, who has done everything he can to… Read more »

This week, Congressman Rick Allen and some of his colleaguesI put forth legislation that would force President Biden to take immediate steps to eliminate the regulations which are currently holding our farmers back. "Farm input costs have risen dramatically since the current administration took over," Allen said. "Specifically, the cost of fertilizer inputs such as nitrogen,… Read more »

Amid intensifying scrutiny of pharmacy benefit managers, a group of House Republicans is urging the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate the role these controversial middlemen play in the opaque pharmaceutical pricing system.   In a June 17 letter, the lawmakers cite increasingly familiar questions about the interactions between pharmacy benefit managers and drug… Read more »

PBMS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE  — Members of the House Committee on Education and Labor have requested that the Government Accountability Office conduct a study on pharmacy benefit managers, citing concerns about their role in drug pricing. In a letter shared with Pulse, lawmakers asked the GAO to look into PBMs’ services to commercial health plans and how they are… Read more »

Dive Brief: Pressure is increasing on pharmacy benefit managers as the middlemen come under rising scrutiny from Washington for their role in rising U.S. drug prices. The Federal Trade Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to adopt a policy statement to more closely examine fees and rebates paid to PBMs in exchange for preferred coverage for their drugs from payers.… Read more »

Georgia Congressman Rick Allen (R-GA-12) went to the House Floor this week and blasted the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) over a proposed rule change for independent contractors. Efforts by the Biden administration would reclassify independent contractors as traditional employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act by redefining the term “employee” to also include independent contractors… Read more »

Biden signs Ocean Shipping Reform Act into law   By Georgia Farm Bureau On June 16 President Joe Biden signed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (S.3580) into law. The law authorizes appropriations for the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) for fiscal years 2022 through 2025; establishes additional requirements and prohibited conduct for ocean carriers; requires the FMC to… Read more »

Republican Leader of the House Agriculture Committee Glenn “GT” Thompson and GOP members this week introduced H.R. 8069, the Reducing Farm Input Costs and Barriers to Domestic Production Act. The bill requires the Biden Administration to reverse its regulatory barriers to domestic agriculture production and provide immediate relief to families across the country. Congressman Thompson… Read more »

American elections have long been defined by campaigns that are focused on ‘pocketbook’ issues. James Carville’s famous line in 1992 — “It’s the economy, stupid” — might well apply for the 2022 midterms, too. And right now, that’s not good news for President Biden or Democrats. The latest review from the pollsters at Gallup this week had a very blunt message: “Usual… Read more »

Climate change and decades of industrialized food production are hurting U.S. agriculture, witnesses told the House Agriculture Committee yesterday at a hearing on the role of research in battling the crisis. Grain yields are already falling in the U.S., and American agriculture’s heavy reliance on chemicals to boost crop production is making farming less sustainable in some ways, a… Read more »