Trump officials delayed farm trade report over deficit forecast

Rogue Valley said:

Trump has flooded every executive department with Project 2025 loyalists.

The will cull all data and toss whatever information makes the TACO admnistration look bad.

Click to expand...

Mycroft said:

From your article...

A USDA spokesperson blamed the delay on an internal review.​

​

“The report was hung up in internal clearance process and was not finalized in time for its typical deadline,” said USDA spokesperson Alec Varsamis in a statement. “Given this report is not statutory as with many other reports USDA does, the Department is undergoing a review of all of its non-statutory reports, including this one, to determine next steps.”​

I suspect the delay isn't about fears of bad news. I suspect it's about making sure that deep state operatives aren't slanting the report against the Trump administration. And yes, while they have been diminished in the last six months, the deep state is still alive in the Trump administration.

Click to expand...

The politically inconvenient data prompted administration officials to block publication of the written analysis normally attached to the report because they disliked what it said about the deficit.

Click to expand...

Mycroft said:

From your article...

A USDA spokesperson blamed the delay on an internal review.​

​

“The report was hung up in internal clearance process and was not finalized in time for its typical deadline,” said USDA spokesperson Alec Varsamis in a statement. “Given this report is not statutory as with many other reports USDA does, the Department is undergoing a review of all of its non-statutory reports, including this one, to determine next steps.”​

I suspect the delay isn't about fears of bad news. I suspect it's about making sure that deep state operatives aren't slanting the report against the Trump administration. And yes, while they have been diminished in the last six months, the deep state is still alive in the Trump administration.

Click to expand...

Trump administration officials delayed and redacted a government forecast because it predicts an increase in the nation’s trade deficit in farm goods later this year, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The numbers run counter to President Donald Trump’s messaging that his economic policies, including tariffs, will reduce U.S. trade imbalances. The politically inconvenient data prompted administration officials to block publication of the written analysis normally attached to the report because they disliked what it said about the deficit.

Click to expand...

Minerva said:

now the TACO admin is delaying and redacting routine reports if the data or analysis contained in the reports contra

Click to expand...

Minerva said:

So now the TACO admin is delaying and redacting routine reports if the data or analysis contained in the reports contradict the admins willfully ignorant predictions.
If this becomes the new norm, those that rely upon factual reporting from the admin and unvarnished analysis will be left floundering.

TACO and company become more Oz like every day, this is NOT how a government is supposed to function. But every since TACO started editing NOAA maps with Sharpies this has become accepted.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/04/trump-officials-farm-product-trade-deficit-forecast-00382549

Click to expand...

Minerva said:

So now the TACO admin is delaying and redacting routine reports if the data or analysis contained in the reports contradict the admins willfully ignorant predictions.
If this becomes the new norm, those that rely upon factual reporting from the admin and unvarnished analysis will be left floundering.

TACO and company become more Oz like every day, this is NOT how a government is supposed to function. But every since TACO started editing NOAA maps with Sharpies this has become accepted.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/04/trump-officials-farm-product-trade-deficit-forecast-00382549

Click to expand...

Minerva said:

So now the TACO admin is delaying and redacting routine reports if the data or analysis contained in the reports contradict the admins willfully ignorant predictions.
If this becomes the new norm, those that rely upon factual reporting from the admin and unvarnished analysis will be left floundering.

TACO and company become more Oz like every day, this is NOT how a government is supposed to function. But every since TACO started editing NOAA maps with Sharpies this has become accepted.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/04/trump-officials-farm-product-trade-deficit-forecast-00382549

Click to expand...

Mycroft said:

From your article...

A USDA spokesperson blamed the delay on an internal review.​

​

“The report was hung up in internal clearance process and was not finalized in time for its typical deadline,” said USDA spokesperson Alec Varsamis in a statement. “Given this report is not statutory as with many other reports USDA does, the Department is undergoing a review of all of its non-statutory reports, including this one, to determine next steps.”​

I suspect the delay isn't about fears of bad news. I suspect it's about making sure that deep state operatives aren't slanting the report against the Trump administration. And yes, while they have been diminished in the last six months, the deep state is still alive in the Trump administration.

Click to expand...

Jason Warfield said:

I’m sorry, but the deep state crap is so weak. You can’t even prove that it so large that it can obstruct Trump…who cut the budgets and departments of the Dept. of Agriculture to the point of being bare bones.

Further, let’s say this was true in this instance. If the Trump administration can’t put people in charge to mitigate such a thing from the get-go…then they have no business trying to run things.

You’ve basically called out Trump as incompetent.

Click to expand...

Minerva said:

So now the TACO admin is delaying and redacting routine reports if the data or analysis contained in the reports contradict the admins willfully ignorant predictions.
If this becomes the new norm, those that rely upon factual reporting from the admin and unvarnished analysis will be left floundering.

TACO and company become more Oz like every day, this is NOT how a government is supposed to function. But every since TACO started editing NOAA maps with Sharpies this has become accepted.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/04/trump-officials-farm-product-trade-deficit-forecast-00382549

Click to expand...