House appropriators are set to start moving their fiscal 2026 spending bills this week, just days after the White House finally released details of its budget requests. The White House is seeking a $6.7 billion, or 22.6%, cut in funding for discretionary programs at USDA. Discretionary programs include research, regulatory activities and other programs where spending levels aren’t mandated by laws such as the farm bill.
“USDA is at a pivotal moment where we can safeguard our country from fiscal ruin. Lower federal spending combined with the largest tax cuts in the history of our country, strong deregulatory actions, and tariff and trade realignment will set the stage for the next generation of American greatness,” the USDA budget request says.
Take note: The USDA budget summary lacks detail on proposed or existing staff levels but does project significant decreases in salaries and expenses at some agencies. Farm Service Agency salary and expense costs would drop from $1.5 billion to under $1.2 billion.
Monthly WIC benefits would drop under budget request
The budget request includes a reduction to the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program (WIC) that advocates say will lead to a significant cut to monthly benefits. The National WIC Association estimates monthly benefits for breastfeeding mothers would drop from $54 to $13 and young children’s benefits would drop from $27 to $10.
The budget would also roll back on the WIC fruit and vegetable benefit, which the group said goes against the administration’s goals to make the country healthier. “This budget doesn't just break promises; it takes healthy food off of children's plates,” said Georgia Machell, president and CEO of the National WIC Association in a statement.
What’s next: The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee will consider its FY26 bill for USDA and FDA on Thursday.
Rollins heads to Rome in latest international trip
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is in Rome for meetings with Italian officials as well as leaders of the UN World Food Program, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The visit with WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain comes amid continued uncertainty about the future of U.S. foreign assistance programs.
It’s Rollins’ second international trade mission after going to the UK last month. Rollins also will go to India, Vietnam, Japan, Peru, and Brazil over the next four months, the department says.
By the way: As of this weekend, USDA still hasn’t released the department’s quarterly trade outlook, which should provide the first forecast of how Trump’s trade policy is affecting agricultural exports. The outlook was scheduled to be released last Thursday. USDA hasn’t explained the delay.
For more on this week’s D.C. agenda, read our Washington Week Ahead.
Reorganization litigation continues on path to Supreme Court
The legal battle over whether President Donald Trump can force federal agencies to implement broad reorganizations and layoffs has cleared another hurdle before its likely final destination: The Supreme Court.
On Saturday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to uphold an injunction halting the administration’s push to remake the federal government. The court said an executive order directing agencies to reorganize “far exceeds the President’s supervisory powers under the Constitution.”
While Trump “enjoys significant removal power with respect to the appointed officers of federal agencies,” no president has ever “exercised such control over inferior officers, much less over the thousands of rank-and-file employees affected by the Executive Order,” the court said in its order.
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A dissenting judge, however, said Trump “has the right to direct agencies … to exercise their statutory authority to lawfully conduct RIFs.”
The administration could ask a panel of 9th Circuit judges to stay the injunction or seek emergency relief immediately in the Supreme Court.
Former ag secretaries: Farm bill coalition was dismantled before reconciliation
Lawmakers sounded the alarm months ago that the cuts to SNAP in the House budget reconciliation bill could break the historic rural-urban farm bill coalition.
In the latest Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, former ag secretaries Dan Glickman (who served under Bill Clinton) and Mike Johanns (George W. Bush) are pessimistic a comprehensive farm bill will ever be passed again.
“If you look into the reconciliation bill and start peeling back the onion, it's pretty amazing to me how much farm bill was put into the reconciliation bill,” Johanns said.
“So, it looks to me like the coalition broke up… I think [House Ag] Chairman [Glenn] Thompson said, ‘Look, this is the only train leaving this station. So, I've got to get on top of this and try to get some things done through reconciliation.’”
Glickman said farmers “should be worried” whether there will in fact be another farm bill this year or next.
As the Senate begins its turn in the reconciliation process, Glickman predicts the chamber will offer a less generous boost to commodity spending and minimize cuts to SNAP.
Senate Dems warn against changes to BEAD
Three Senate Democrats are urging Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to move quickly to roll out federal dollars through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program without making drastic changes.
In a letter, the senators say states are ready to put shovels in the ground and have been waiting for months to get started connecting communities. Further delays and "onerous changes to the program at this stage threaten to stall urgently needed deployment and leave communities behind," they wrote.
They also warned against changing requirements to boost satellite broadband's role in the program.
"States must maintain the flexibility to choose the highest quality broadband options, rather than be forced by bureaucrats in Washington to funnel funds to Elon Musk’s Starlink, which lacks the scalability, reliability, and speed of fiber or other terrestrial broadband solutions," they wrote.
The letter's signers include Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
Final word
“We're at a strange junction point when it comes to passing farm policy.” – Former Ag Secretary Dan Glickman on Agri-Pulse Newsmakers.
Rebekah AlveyPhilip Brasher, Lydia Johnson and Noah Wicks contributed to today’s Daybreak.
For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.
