Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Saturday that the Biden administration has no plans to intervene to stop a dockworker strike, and he also urged lawmakers to “get practical” in their farm bill negotiations.
Some 56 agricultural groups asked the White House this week to help prevent a potential strike shutting down East and Gulf coast port operations on Tuesday. If port operations stop, “the impact on the ag supply chain will quickly reverberate throughout agriculture and not only slow or shut down operations, but also potentially lower farmgate prices,” the groups said in a letter. The administration is urging the International Longshoremen’s Union and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) to reach an agreement, Vilsack told reporters Saturday in a call from Italy where he attended a meeting of G7 agriculture ministers this week. Read more