Trump officials delayed farm trade report over deficit forecast [View all]
The delay also gives insiders time to buy and sell stocks and options before the delayed reports release.
Trump officials delayed farm trade report over deficit forecast
Administration officials blocked publication of written analysis that normally accompanies the report because they disliked what it said about the deficit.

A USDA spokesperson blamed the delay on an internal review. | Jose Luis Magana/AP
By MARCIA BROWN
06/04/2025 05:55 AM EDT
Trump administration officials delayed and redacted a government forecast because it predicts an increase in the nations trade deficit in farm goods later this year, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The numbers run counter to President Donald Trumps 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.
The published report,
released Monday but dated May 29, includes numbers that are unchanged from how they wouldve read in the unredacted report, said the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss internal decision-making.
Policymakers, farm groups and commodities traders rely on the closely watched report, which the Agriculture Department issues quarterly, for its analysis of imports and exports of major farm commodities including cotton and livestock. The highly unusual rollout could raise questions about potential political meddling with government reports that have traditionally been trusted for decades.
Objectivity is really key here and the public depends on it, said Joe Glauber, a former USDA chief economist. To lose that trust would be terrible.
A USDA spokesperson blamed the delay on an internal review.
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