With farmers across the country concerned about losing workers to mass deportations, there are renewed calls for reforming the H-2A visa system. To that end, House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., tells Agri-Pulse he plans to introduce legislation that would put into law recommendations made by a committee task force in the last Congress.
Thompson’s big problem: Immigration and H-2A are under the purview of the Judiciary Committee, not Ag. Thompson says he will ask GOP leadership to move the bill to Ag but expects to be denied. He doesn’t have a timetable but says, “I see it as urgent, though, with what's going on right now.”
By the way: Farm groups appealed to the Senate Ag Committee for H-2A relief on Wednesday during a hearing on the farm economy.
Thompson: No farm bill by June? Ag will need more financial support
Thompson told state ag commissioners Thursday that farmers will need more financial aid at the end of 2025 if a new five-year farm bill doesn’t move by this summer.
“If we wait any longer than June to get this farm bill done, I'm going to have to be back with leadership, I'm actually convinced, in December begging for more economic relief,” Thompson said at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s Winter Policy Conference in Washington.
Cracks already emerging in GOP budget reconciliation process
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Republicans have cleared a major hurdle this week in advancing their budget blueprint. But the path ahead is already looking quite rocky as competing goals continue to emerge within the party. House and Senate Republicans must reach agreement on both how many bills they’re going to do and which spending and tax cuts will be included.
The House resolution includes $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, which would hit programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and some clean energy provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act.
From the right: House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said in a statement that his vote in favor of the resolution was contingent on additional steps in the final reconciliation bill, including “the full eradication of Green New Deal IRA subsidies.”
On social media Tuesday, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who wound up voting against the resolution, also criticized some Republicans for insisting that ethanol provisions of the IRA are maintained in the budget reconciliation plan.
Cutting ethanol and biofuel provisions of the IRA, like the 45Z tax credit for clean fuel producers, through reconciliation would spell trouble for other parts of the GOP conference. Several Republicans from biofuel states support these measures, and some have said cutting biofuel credits would be a red line.
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Industry groups welcome new USDA avian flu strategy
Industry groups are praising the strategy to combat the avian flu announced Wednesday by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. The plan comes with a $1 billion investment for on-farm biosecurity, increased indemnity rates and vaccine research. The plan stops short of actually vaccinating birds.
International Dairy Foods Association welcomed the $100 million investment in vaccine research. The group also re-upped calls for the federal government to quickly develop and approve bovine vaccines.
The National Chicken Council, which has opposed rushing vaccine efforts due to trade concerns, praised the “measured and science-based approach” on vaccines.
Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said the strategy was an “important step” in supporting farmers and consumers. However, she said the administration needs to also confirm it has rehired all employees fired in recent weeks who were responsible for combatting the avian flu.
Relying on imports: Supplementing the United States’ diminished egg supply with imports from other countries is a key part of the new strategy. Last year the U.S. imported about 70 million eggs from Turkey, according to a USDA official. This year the number will be about 420 million, which represents about 5% of the total domestic production for the month of January.
Poultry industry to senators: Don’t let vaccine ‘ruin trade’
Representatives from the poultry industry told lawmakers Wednesday that the U.S. should work with trade partners to ensure avian flu vaccinations do not disrupt exports.
Speaking at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, Tony Wesner, a board member at United Egg Producers, told lawmakers that “nobody wants to see trade stopped because we start using vaccine.” Many U.S. trading partners limit imports from countries vaccinating against avian flu over concerns it can conceal symptoms in birds harboring the virus.
Wesner pointed out that almost 40% of chicken exports went to countries that are vaccinating their own flocks.
“I can't understand why we can't get together with those countries and figure this out so we don't ruin trade,” Wesner said.
National Turkey Federation Chair John Zimmerman stressed that the U.S. needs to be strategic in its rollout of the vaccine. “We need to have a plan in place, because we know that our trading partners are going to request that plan,” he said.
White House walks back Trump’s Mexico, Canada tariff comments
A White House official told Agri-Pulse that the president is still considering whether to extend the deadline for tariffs on Mexico and Canada past March 4. President Donald Trump incorrectly told reporters on Wednesday that the duties are set to start April 2.
“Those tariffs are still kicking in on March 4,” the official said. “I think a lot of things got muddled in there.”
The official added that the president is reviewing Mexico and Canada’s efforts to tighten border security but hasn’t “yet made a decision” on whether to push the start date back further.
Greer confirmed as USTR
Jamieson Greer was confirmed as the U.S. trade representative in a 56-43 vote. Five Democrats crossed the aisle to vote with Senate Republicans to approve his confirmation.
Just one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., opposed his nomination. Paul has been a vocal critic of Trump’s tariff plans.
Greer served as chief of staff to USTR Robert Lighthizer during the first Trump administration. He defended Trump’s trade policy agenda during his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. But Greer drew support from Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and others for commitments to open new markets for farmers.
Final word
“A domestic workforce is never again going to be the remedy for ag production in the United States.” – Anna Rhinewalt, a sweet potato farmer at Wednesday’s Senate Ag Committee hearing.
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