Under pressure from rural lawmakers, House Democratic leaders are expected to ensure USDA can continue making trade assistance payments after the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1. A provision requested by the White House to replenish USDA’s Commodity Credit Corp. borrowing authority is likely to be included in a stopgap spending bill that the House is expected to consider this week. “Although we mutually have concerns with President Trump’s approach to trade negotiations, we refuse to engage in the same tactics that punish our constituents and harm our communities that rely on agriculture. We cannot and will not allow our farmers to be used as political pawns,” rural Democrats said in a joint statement. (Agri-Pulse)