Some question the effectiveness of paying farmers to sink more carbon into their soil, while others worry it could let polluters off the hook.A tractor plows under what would have been Spring Mix. | Brent Stirton/Getty ImagesThe Biden administration’s ambitious plan to create a multibillion-dollar bank to help pay farmers to capture carbon from the atmosphere is running into surprising skepticism, challenging Agriculture Department officials to persuade the industry to get behind the massive climate proposal.“There’s a balance between moving really quickly and also being deliberate enough...…Some question the effectiveness of paying farmers to sink more carbon into their soil, while others worry it could let polluters off the hook.A tractor plows under what would have been Spring Mix. | Brent Stirton/Getty ImagesThe Biden administration’s ambitious plan to create a multibillion-dollar bank to help pay farmers to capture carbon from the atmosphere is running into surprising skepticism, challenging Agriculture Department officials to persuade the industry to get behind the massive climate proposal.“There’s a balance between moving really quickly and also being deliberate enough...WW…

New changes allow states to simplify how they figure out which children are eligible for benefits.The new policy means that soon many households that are already participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — still known to many as food stamps — will get additional benefits if they have children under the age of six. | Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesMillions of low-income households with children are about to get more help buying groceries during the pandemic under a new policy released Friday by the Biden administration.The backstory: Congress last spring launched Pandemic...…New changes allow states to simplify how they figure out which children are eligible for benefits.The new policy means that soon many households that are already participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — still known to many as food stamps — will get additional benefits if they have children under the age of six. | Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesMillions of low-income households with children are about to get more help buying groceries during the pandemic under a new policy released Friday by the Biden administration.The backstory: Congress last spring launched Pandemic...WW…

The program has been plagued with delays this year because of a mix of political failure in Congress and bureaucracy at the Agriculture Department.A sign noting the acceptance of EBT cards that are used by state welfare departments to issue benefits is displayed at a convenience store in Richmond, Calif. | Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesThe Biden administration with children by 15 percent. It is part of several new actions aimed at getting more government assistance out as the pandemic drags on.The backstory: The Pandemic-EBT program, known as P-EBT, was created last spring to help replace the...…The program has been plagued with delays this year because of a mix of political failure in Congress and bureaucracy at the Agriculture Department.A sign noting the acceptance of EBT cards that are used by state welfare departments to issue benefits is displayed at a convenience store in Richmond, Calif. | Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesThe Biden administration with children by 15 percent. It is part of several new actions aimed at getting more government assistance out as the pandemic drags on.The backstory: The Pandemic-EBT program, known as P-EBT, was created last spring to help replace the...WW…

Heitkamp has long been seen as the leading contender for the position, given her moderate politics and friendly relationship with the agriculture sector.Sen. Heidi Heitkamp attends her last hearing with the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. | AP Photo/J. Scott ApplewhiteProgressives within agriculture are mounting an aggressive push to keep former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp from being selected to serve as Agriculture Secretary in a Biden administration.The tension is emerging right as Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) has , a sprawling $150 billion department that feeds millions of low-income households,...…Heitkamp has long been seen as the leading contender for the position, given her moderate politics and friendly relationship with the agriculture sector.Sen. Heidi Heitkamp attends her last hearing with the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. | AP Photo/J. Scott ApplewhiteProgressives within agriculture are mounting an aggressive push to keep former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp from being selected to serve as Agriculture Secretary in a Biden administration.The tension is emerging right as Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) has , a sprawling $150 billion department that feeds millions of low-income households,...WW…

“In my 30 years of doing this work, I've never seen something this egregious,” one food bank director said.President Donald Trump arrives to speak about the "Farmers to Families Food Box Program" at Flavor First Growers and Packers in Mills River, N.C., on Aug. 24, 2020. | Nell Redmond/AP PhotoThe Agriculture Department last week began mandating that millions of boxes of surplus food for needy families include a letter from President Donald Trump claiming credit for the program.The USDA’s $4 billion Farmers to Families Food Box Program has distributed more than 100 million boxes to those in...…“In my 30 years of doing this work, I've never seen something this egregious,” one food bank director said.President Donald Trump arrives to speak about the "Farmers to Families Food Box Program" at Flavor First Growers and Packers in Mills River, N.C., on Aug. 24, 2020. | Nell Redmond/AP PhotoThe Agriculture Department last week began mandating that millions of boxes of surplus food for needy families include a letter from President Donald Trump claiming credit for the program.The USDA’s $4 billion Farmers to Families Food Box Program has distributed more than 100 million boxes to those in...WW…