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Missouri Independent – September 28, 2023
U.S. senators said during a Wednesday hearing that foreign ownership of farmland is a national security threat that should be further examined. The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry discussed foreign ownership of the nation’s agricultural lands, with testimony from experts and Senate colleagues who have been taking the lead on the issue.

Joplin Globe – October 4, 2023
Following an earlier call by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that he has called upon Tyson Foods to sell its poultry processing plants in Noel and Dexter rather than close them. The closings, expected later this month, will put 2,200 people in Missouri out of work. Bailey’s letter to Donnie King, CEO of Tyson to sell the two plants follows Tyson’s recently closure of its corporate offices in Chicago and South Dakota and consolidated its workforce in Arkansas. Tyson laid off 15% of its senior leadership and 10% of its corporate workers in April.

Roll Call – October 4, 2023
The farm bill could be collateral damage after the House removed Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a historic vote that may have “blown up any meaningful legislation,” House Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson warned. The House and Senate Agriculture committees had already missed a deadline to finish a farm bill by Sept. 30, when the 2018 bill expired. Leaders of both committees have set Dec. 31 as the new deadline for a final bill. They say an extension isn’t necessary if they can finish before Jan. 1, 2024, when 1940s farm policies of supply management and higher dairy and crop subsidies would start to take effect.

Roll Call – October 6, 2023
The House GOP conference will hold its internal election for speaker Wednesday morning after a Tuesday evening candidate forum. Former speaker Kevin McCarthy’s stunning ouster this week has paved the way for the leadership scramble. Both Scalise and Jordan are working to secure support across the conference and both have received some high-profile endorsements.

The House can't work without a speaker. How will it choose McCarthy's successor?
NPR – October 5, 2023
The House is without a leader — and in uncharted territory — after eight hard-line Republicans and unified Democrats voted to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a historic 216-210 vote on Tuesday. Crucially, it can't conduct any legislative work without an elected speaker. Members must elect a new one before they can get back to their to-do lists, which include funding the government to avoid a shutdown in the next 43 days.

US Government Accountability Office – September 6, 2023
EPA primarily uses two legacy IT systems to manage outdoor air quality data that tribal, state, and local air monitoring agencies collect. Data from these systems helps to identify areas that don't meet air quality standards and communicate information about air pollution levels to the public.

The Hill – October 1, 2023
Student loan payments officially resume after borrowers were let off the hook for more than three years by a pause initiated during the economic turmoil of the coronavirus pandemic.