The first budget from Senate Democrats in four years includes nearly $1 trillion in new taxes but would not balance the budget. Read More...

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) revealed Monday evening in an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal that his latest budget plan will cut $4.6 trillion in spending over 10 years. Read More...

Budget sequestration went into effect late last week, imposing a series of across-the-board spending cuts at federal agencies. As a result of sequestration, agencies will be required to reduce discretionary spending 5% and mandatory spending 5.1% over the course of the fiscal year. Because there are less than seven months remaining in the fiscal year, many programs will be required to cut 9 to 9.5% for the remainder of the year.                 Read More...

The Congressional Budget Office released last week new cost estimates for the Senate and House Agriculture Committee-passed Farm Bills from 2012 that show significantly less savings that previous estimates. The CBO's updated scores for the legislation show the Senate-passed bill saving $13.1 billion over ten years instead of the $23.1 billion that was estimated last summer.  Similarly, the House Committee bill would save $26.6 billion instead of $35.1 billion. Read More...

A bipartisan group of House Agriculture Committee members have reintroduced legislation, H.R. 935, to clarify that Clean Water Act permits are not required for the lawful application of FIFRA approved pesticides. The legislation is the same as H.R. 872, which passed the House last congress.  Reps. Bob Gibbs (R-OH), Austin Scott (R-GA), Kurt Schrader (D-OR), and Mike McIntrye (D-NC) sponsored the bill this year. Read More...

Registration is now open for GIE+EXPO (the Green Industry & Equipment Expo), October 23-25, 2013 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. Dealers, distributors, landscape contractors and anyone working in the lawn maintenance, landscaping and turf care industry can register online at www.gie-expo.com. Read More...

On March 28, the USDA will release an estimate of U.S. corn stocks as of March 1, 2013. Read More...

As I begin my term as chairman of the North America Equipment Dealers Association, the question that comes to my mind is, “What do our dealer-members really need from us?” After all, our motto and driving purpose is, “Helping Dealers Succeed.” Read More...

Key House conservatives on Wednesday signaled support for a House leadership plan to pass a six-month continuing resolution next week. Enacting the bill would avoid a government shutdown after March 27, when the current stopgap funding bill runs out. Read More...

E15 would be banned under a bill introduced in the Senate on Thursday, Feb. 14. Read More...