ATLANTA — Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper on Wednesday said he applauds the Trump administration decision to reopen USDA Farm Service Agency offices and resume core operations during the government shutdown.

The move announced Tuesday by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, and the unfreezing of $3 billion in farmer aid, is the latest volley in the political showdown over the government shutdown that's now three weeks long.

As of recent reports, there is no deal on the immediate horizon in the Senate to reopen the government. Senate Democrats have held firm on a demand to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, set to expire at the end of the year, as a condition of any government funding bill. Republicans have a different view, calling on Democrats to support a GOP-b

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