Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins wants USDA to prioritize U.S. companies and people in the spending of taxpayer dollars.
“Foreign competitors benefit from USDA-funded projects, receiving loans that support overseas businesses, and grants that enable foreign competitors to undermine U.S. economic and strategic interests,” she says in an “America First” secretarial memorandum posted this week.
The memo directs personnel to provide information within 30 days about “arrangements or sub-arrangements” involving foreign persons or entities. It also says any future arrangements must be reviewed by the Office of Homeland Security, the Office of General Counsel, and the Office of the Chief Scientist.
“Every dollar will be scrutinized and stopped if determined to not be in the best interest of the nation's agricultural community which nourishes, powers, and clothes the American people,” Rollins’ memo says.
Negotiations will be necessary on House, Senate ag spending bills
Senate appropriators are hoping to move the USDA-FDA funding bill to the floor along with two other appropriations bills. The full Appropriations Committee advanced the fiscal year 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and related agencies bill on Thursday in a 27-0 vote.
Take note: The bill has some key differences with the House version. The Senate version funds Food for Peace at a slightly higher level and requires an analysis before moving the program into USDA. It also increases funding for WIC, while maintaining the cash value benefit for fruits and vegetables.
Ag Appropriations Subcommittee Chair John Hoeven, R-N.D., said the goal is to bring three bills to the floor at the same time: agriculture, commerce, justice and science, and legislative branch appropriations.
While both the agriculture and legislative branch bills sailed through without many hiccups, the committee went into an extended recess to attempt and find a compromise on language related to the site of FBI headquarters.
Coalition calls for more time on tomato dispute
A coalition led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is urging Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to hold off on pulling the U.S. out of an agreement suspending tariffs on Mexican tomatoes.
Thursday’s letter marks the Chamber’s first public foray into a dispute that pits tomato growers, mostly based in Florida, against importers and growers with operations on both sides of the southern border.
“Terminating the agreement would likely have widespread repercussions on the U.S. economy, affecting agriculture, warehousing, logistics, grocery, and restaurant industries,” the 31 industry groups write. “This decision could create challenges for the U.S. economy, and we therefore urge you to pause this decision to allow time to negotiate a new agreement.”
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Take note: The correspondence is only the latest action in a string of lobbying efforts from both sides of the dispute. Efforts have ramped up in recent days and weeks as the deadline for U.S. withdrawal approaches on Monday.
Read more about the lobbying battle over the issue on Agri-Pulse.com.
Government must explain reasoning on release of RIF plans
The judge handling a challenge to federal agencies’ reorganization plans has ordered the government to explain why it shouldn’t have to submit its plans to the court.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered the federal government to file a response to the plaintiffs’ request for discovery, which seeks copies of 40 separate plans from 17 agencies for reductions in force.
The government had argued that the plans were not subject to disclosure under the “deliberative process” privilege. The judge indicated she does not agree with that argument and that “the court is not inclined to order the near-total redactions” sought by the government.
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that agencies could move forward with RIF plans but pointedly said it was not ruling on the legality of the plans themselves.
Lawmakers seek expedited approvals for screwworm treatments
Eight Republican House members are asking the Department of Health and Human Services to use emergency authority to speed approvals for antiparasitic drugs that can be used to treat livestock infested with New World screwworm.
In a letter, the lawmakers told HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. several cattle drugs can be used to treat screwworm infestations but lack proper labeling for legal use. While there are two products labeled for use in cases of screwworm, “many more have similar, if not exact active ingredients, modes of administration, and availability,” they wrote.
"These drugs may prove vital in the battle against NWS, but without appropriate labeling, veterinarians and producers are left without the legal clarity to deploy these treatments quickly in an outbreak scenario,” the lawmakers said.
Take note: USDA announced Wednesday evening it was closing ports on the Mexican border to shipments of cattle, bison and horses due to confirmed outbreaks less than 700 miles from the U.S. border.
Read Oliver Ward's story on that here.
Final word
House Ag Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., is aiming to move a “farm bill 2.0” this fall. But Democrats may not be quick to negotiate, according to Rep. Shri Thanedar, a committee Democrat who represents the Detroit metropolitan area.
“Cutting nutritional programs in a cruel way to take food away from the hungry doesn't put us in the right frame of mind to work on a bipartisan way to get this farm bill done,” Thanedar said, referencing nutrition program cuts in budget reconciliation.
“I don't think it's going to be smooth sailing for what you call the skinny farm bill,” he added.
Rebekah Alvey, Oliver Ward and Noah Wicks contributed to today’s Daybreak.
