President Donald Trump’s nominee to helm the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will appear before the Senate Finance Committee today in what promises to be a tariff-heavy hearing.
International trade attorney Jamieson Greer’s nomination comes the same week new tariffs on China went into effect and Trump walked back duties on goods from Mexico and Canada hours before they were set to begin. Greer has been an outspoken advocate of tariffs. During the first Trump administration, he served as chief of staff to Robert Lighthizer, Trump’s trade policy architect.
“Greer and Trump are a like mind on tariffs,” Senate Finance ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., told reporters on a call this week. “So, there's a big challenge coming up,” he added, telling reporters to expect more “tariff chaos.”
Take note: Greer has previously advocated for the U.S. pursuing new sectoral trade deals with partners to secure additional market access in specific industries. He has also suggested that the U.S. should annually consider whether to keep normal trade relations with China.
Lutnick advances to Senate floor vote
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has advanced Howard Lutnick’s nomination to lead the Commerce Department. The nomination moved on a 16-12 vote, with only one Democrat – Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania – voting with Republicans.
It’s easy to be “in the know” about agriculture news from coast to coast! Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news. Simply click here.
When announcing his nomination, Trump had said Lutnick would be responsible for implementing his trade agenda. Accordingly, some Democrats indicated they were uneasy with Lutnick's position on tariffs.
“We need a secretary that understands that these products and these issues need coalition building, not throwing down gauntlets that will lose jobs for my farmers,” ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said during the meeting to consider his nomination.
With USAID to be shuttered Friday, protesters flood Capitol Hill
The U.S. Agency for International Development will be shuttered Friday when nearly all employees around the world will be placed on leave. Those stationed overseas will have 30 days to return to the United States.
The only exceptions will be “designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs,” according to the USAID.gov website.
Thousands of protesters gathered in Senate Park Wednesday to voice their opposition to the decision, yelling chants of “U-S-A-I-D” and “Let them work,” among others.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., stepped away from the Senate Ag Committee hearing to address the crowd.
By the way: Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran has raised concern about the amount of food aid left in limbo with the shutdown of USAID. Asked whether he would support folding the agency into the Department of State he said, “I think that requires hearing and legislative debate to determine what the right answer is. I think there’s problems at USAID [that] need to be addressed. But this is an agency that Congress needs to be involved in making a decision on what it should look like.”
Senate eyes next week for first reconciliation bill markup
The Senate is preparing to move forward on the first of two reconciliation bills next week even as the House continues to work on a single bill.
After a meeting of GOP senators Wednesday, Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he’s hopeful about a markup of a budget resolution next week. The resolution would provide about $150 million to border security and “somewhere in that range” for the military.
Meanwhile: The House has been struggling to find consensus on their plan for “one big beautiful bill.” Originally, the chamber planned to move its budget resolution through the Budget Committee this week, with a possible floor vote next week. However, some hardline conservatives have pushed for steeper spending cuts than the $500 million proposed by leadership.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said Trump gave his blessing to the Senate’s plan to move ahead on two bills.
Texas Ag Department warns of unsolicited packages
Beware of gifts from China containing seeds.
That’s the message from Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who is warning Texans about a “mystery package” sent to an address in Clute, a city in the Houston metropolitan area. The package contained unidentified seeds and a liquid container.
The materials were sent unsolicited from China.
“Folks, please take this matter seriously,” Miller said. “Receiving any unsolicited liquid or chemical at your doorstep poses a significant risk to the health of you and your family. We also cannot allow unidentified seeds to enter Texas. If planted, invasive plant species will substantially harm the Texas agriculture industry.”
The state ag department has sent the contents of the package to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for testing.
Reducing Gulf dead zone could cost $7B, study says
Reducing nitrogen fertilizer runoff to the Gulf of Mexico by 45% — what EPA projects is needed to meet its goal of reducing the body of water’s current “dead zone” — could cost consumers and farmers an estimated $7 billion annually, according to a new study.
Researchers at West Virginia University, the Texas Soil and Water Research Laboratory and Iowa State University estimated fertilizer use on corn, wheat, sorghum and soybeans to calculate the cost impacts of potential efforts to reduce the amount of nitrogen that flows into the water body, which Trump has renamed the Gulf of America.
Take note: The researchers also found reducing nitrogen fertilizer runoff could lead to a 4% to 5% increase in nitrogen runoff to other waterways, like Lake Erie and the Chesapeake Bay.
