President Trump may have announced a tariff cease fire between the U-S and China last weekend, but the war of words continues. Trump's Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, addressed delegates to the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting meeting Monday in Chicago;
The Farm Bureau handed Perdue a freshly-approved resolution urging Congress and the Trump Administration to seek resolution to current trade disputes with China and other countries. Perdue expressed optimism the recently-signed U-S-Mexico-Canada Agreement can help get more U-S farm products moving across borders;
The proposed U-S-M-C-A, also known as "NAFTA 2-point-0," still needs to be considered by Congress - and that won't happen until next year. The Ag Department chief, however, told the group he is hopeful Congress will approve a new multi-year farm bill yet this year, in particular to provide more money to develop markets in countries other than Canada, China and Mexico.