Majority Leader Schedules Vote for Perdue April 24

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has placed a time for debate and a vote for the confirmation of Agriculture Secretary Nominee Sonny Perdue. The vote is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. April 24th, after what’s expected to be a couple of hours of debate. The Senate Periodical Gallery confirmed the vote, saying McConnell added it to the schedule as a unanimous consent request, according to the Hagstrom Report. The schedule puts to rest any speculation a vote could be held yet this week, as the Senate is stuck in a political battle over Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch. The vote is scheduled for the first day back for the Senate following a two-week recess. The vote comes 13 weeks after Perdue was nominated by President Donald Trump. Lawmakers Asking Trump to Talk Beef with China’s President A group of legislators are pressing the White House to raise the issue of U.S. beef trade with China when President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi (she) Jinping (today) Thursday. A group of 39 Senators, including Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, have penned a letter to President Trump, asking him to raise the issue of U.S. beef access to Chinese markets. China has recently become the fastest growing beef market in the world, but U.S. producers have not had the opportunity to access the market since 2003. The effort was led by Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines. In the letter, the Senators say: “Opening this market to U.S. producers would create substantial opportunities for ranchers across the country.” The letter points out that China’s beef import market is worth more than $2.5 billion and is the second largest importer of beef in the world.