President Donald Trump says he’ll have an announcement of a trade agreement this morning. In a social media post Wednesday night, he said it would be a “major deal” with “a big, and highly respected country. The first of many!!!”
A deal with the UK has been expected this week or next.
Tuesday planned for House Ag markup
The House Agriculture Committee plans to kick off debate on the GOP budget plan next Tuesday. Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson says the text should be available this weekend.
The committee is expected to consider including key farm bill programs, including higher reference prices, in the legislation as well as major cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The provisions are supposed to add up to a net spending reduction of $230 billion.
Rollins: Disaster aid on the way
Disaster aid will begin to be distributed to farmers by the end of this month. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters Wednesday the goal is for all the $21 billion in aid to be moved out by early September.
Rollins also said the department is working to expedite distribution of funds through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program for drought and wildfire, as well as aid for previously indemnified loss, flooding and milk loss, and uncovered loss.
Rollins spoke during a roundtable for farmers that included leaders from several state ag departments. The roundtable discussion was closed to the media, but Rollins allowed the press in to hear her remarks and ask a few questions.
Rollins provides a glimpse at Dietary Guidelines
Rollins says the upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans will be simple to understand and support domestic farmers.
During an appearance before the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, Rollins said her office is actively working with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the next iteration of the DGA. The two agencies are tasked with taking recommendations from the advisory committee’s scientific report and crafting the final guidelines. These are influential in shaping nutrition programs throughout the federal government.
Rollins said they hope to have the final guidelines out by early fall.
“I won’t say that we’re starting from scratch, because I think a lot of well-intentioned people did a lot of good work on that,” Rollins said. “It will be very simple, it will speak directly to the American family, it will support our local farmers and producers, and it will ensure that the incredible product of milk is right up there at the top.”
Rollins asked to reinstate grant for sustainable feminine hygiene products
The subcommittee’s top Democrat urged Rollins to reinstate a grant to a Black land-grant college to develop nontoxic feminine hygiene products.
Rollins has said repeatedly that the $600,000 grant to Southern University in Louisiana is to study menstrual cycles of transgender men, though at the hearing yesterday it became “transgender mice.” (Southern has disputed the characterization.)
Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., said Rollins has misrepresented the grant. He cited the grant summary in noting that its purpose was to develop patents for sustainable feminine hygiene sanitary products from wool, cotton and hemp.
The grant’s only mention of transgenderism is when it says “transgender men and people with masculine gender identities, intersex and non-binary persons may also menstruate.”
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Rollins said she would look into the matter. The grant was awarded last year by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Pesticide critic picked for surgeon general
Casey Means, a leader of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement who’s a harsh critic of pesticides, has been picked to be U.S. surgeon general. Her brother, Calley Means, is also a leader of the movement and has been advising the Trump administration on implementing MAHA policies.
Check out: One of her newsletter posts lays out her views of pesticides. In the post, the Stanford Medical School graduate says “we are turning a blind eye to the dumping of 6 billion pounds of ultra-toxic chemicals on our food each year globally, which is strongly linked to nearly every single chronic disease we face by destroying our mitochondria.”
Democratic AGs sue over HHS reorganization
Twenty Democratic attorneys general are suing the Department of Health and Human Services over its restructuring efforts, arguing the agency's actions fall outside of its statutory authority and violate the Administrative Procedure Act.
According to the lawsuit, approximately 873 employees were sent termination notices on April 1 at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which conducts research and outreach to improve safety in the agricultural industry as well as in other sectors. On May 2, “nearly all of the remaining NIOSH employees were laid off after being told their duties “have been identified as either unnecessary or virtually identical to duties being performed elsewhere in the agency,” the AGs said.
At the Food and Drug Administration, 3,500 employees were fired on April 1, the lawsuit said. These terminations have already impacted efforts to detect bird flu virus in milk, the AGs alleged.
Corn producers to push for corn, ethanol as part of India deal
The U.S. corn industry is calling on the Trump administration to use trade talks to open the Indian market for U.S. corn and related products, including by going after India’s GM corn restrictions.
In a press call today, National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr. will tout the opportunities the Indian market holds for U.S. corn exports.
Around 94% of U.S. corn is genetically modified, severely limiting exports to India. “If the Indian government were to drop its restrictions on genetically modified corn, it could open the door to $235 million worth of U.S. exports each year,” a NCGA statement reads.
Similarly, if India eased barriers on U.S. sustainable aviation fuel, NCGA estimates it could create opportunities for the U.S. corn sector of more than $400 million.
Take note: U.S. trade discussions with China are also set to kick off this weekend as senior administration trade officials meet with their counterparts in Geneva.
By the way: The Food Industry Association: FMI’s annual survey on grocery shopper trends found that 70% of Americans are extremely or very worried about rising grocery prices, with 78% reporting they are at least somewhat concerned about the impact of tariffs on the cost of imported food and ingredients. FMI represents major food retail chains.
Farm Workforce Modernization Act returns
A bipartisan group of lawmakers have reintroduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bill that would expand the H-2A program and provide a path to legal status for existing farmworkers.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., says that reintroducing the bill will “lay the groundwork for continued negotiations” over ag labor reforms.
Sponsors will somehow have to convince the White House to get behind bipartisan ag labor reforms. The bill has passed a Democratic-controlled House twice in the past but has never made it out of the Senate.
Final word
"Gone are the days where the USDA focus was on diversity, equity and inclusion and on the green climate agenda." — Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins
Rebekah Alvey, Lydia Johnson, Oliver Ward and Noah Wicks contributed to today’s Daybreak.
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