By Sarah Reinhardt, Union of Concerned Scientists USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue has signaled he may be having second thoughts about a proposed rule that could force 755,000 work-ready adults off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The rule, which would restrict states’ ability to waive benefit time limits for adults struggling to find work, has faced substantial backlash since it […]
By Genna Reed, Union of Concerned Scientists Pregnancy Advice: Caffeine’s ok. Some caffeine is ok. No caffeine. Breastfeeding Advice: Start solids at 4 months. Start solids at 6 months. Exclusively breastfeed for one year. First Foods Advice: Homemade baby food. Store-bought baby food. Spoon feeding. Baby-led weaning. My experience of being pregnant and having a […]
By Sharon Anglin Treat, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy With the endorsement on April 15 by a majority of the heads of government of its member states, the European Union has finally taken the formal step needed to move ahead with trade negotiations with the United States. The talks may yet blow up over automobile tariffs, airplane subsidies […]
By Alexis Temkin and Olga Naidenko, Environmental Working Group A new analysis of Monsanto’s signature herbicide, glyphosate, released by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gives weight to studies connecting glyphosate and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and recommends monitoring children’s exposure to this toxic weed killer. Although EPA has maintained its […]
By Jennifer Sass, Natural Resources Defense Council Glyphosate is used in the U.S. at roughly 300 million pounds per year in agriculture, with about 90% for agriculture, and 10% for non-ag uses (Benbrook 2016). It gets on our lawns and gardens, our parks and playgrounds, our farm fields and food crops, and then runs with […]
By Derrick Z. Jackson, Union of Concerned Scientists Putting a new twist on the term “pork-barrel politics,” the National Pork Board, along with other of food industry and infant formula lobbyists, may be maneuvering into a position of undue influence in the Trump administration’s five-year update of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The US Department […]
By Sarah Reinhardt, Union of Concerned Scientists On Tuesday, April 2nd, the Trump administration closes a public comment period on proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) that could leave hundreds of thousands of unemployed and underemployed adults unable to meet their basic needs. As we wrote in a previous blog, USDA Secretary […]
By Scott Faber, Environmental Working Group More than ever, Americans want to know everything about our food, cosmetics, cleaners and other everyday products we bring into our homes. We want to know what’s in it, why it’s in there, where it’s been and who made it. Mostly we want to be trusted to do our […]
By Ben Lilliston, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy New data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows a steady increase in agriculture-related greenhouse gas emissions, much of it linked to industrial systems of crop production and the rise of factory farm systems of animal production. The annually updated GHG data is designed to […]
By Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, Natural Resources Defense Council Next week the Trump Administration will show us, once again, how far it will go to protect polluters at the expense of children’s health. On March 26, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco will hear, for a second time, arguments over a proposed ban on chlorpyrifos, […]
By Larissa Liebmann, Waterkeeper Alliance Thanks to air emissions standards created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Clean Air Act in 2011, important progress in reducing mercury pollution in our waterways has been made. But Trump’s EPA is now taking steps to weaken these standards. Please take a stand against this polluter handout […]
By Mike Lavender, Union of Concerned Scientists Presidential budgets are wish lists. Very detailed and public wish lists. That’s why on Monday, when the Trump Administration released its FY2020 Budget, it was alarming to see a 7 percent reduction to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area. Thankfully, Congress has […]