Senate Republicans are set to break a logjam on President Donald Trump’s nominees this week that could benefit at least three of his picks for USDA.
Meanwhile, GOP leaders are set to move a stopgap spending bill this week to keep the government funded after the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1, but Senate Democrats are insisting Republicans also agree to extend expiring health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Unless one side blinks, or a compromise is reached, that issue could lead to a government shutdown.
On Monday, the Senate GOP will take the final step toward speeding up the floor consideration of nominations by voting to allow committee-approved nominees to be considered in groups rather than having to be voted on one at a time.
The first USDA nominations likely to be considered as part of a package are Richard Fordyce to be undersecretary for farm production and conservation; Dudley Hoskins to be undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, and Scott Hutchins to be undersecretary for research, education and economics.
Republicans have grown increasingly frustrated that relatively noncontroversial nominees can’t be considered on a fast-track basis.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledges that Republicans slowed down the nomination process under Democratic presidents, but he insists Democrats have taken the practice to an extreme.
“They left us no alternative,” Thune said on Fox Business. “They are forcing the Senate to be nothing more than a personnel department by having to go through all the various steps.”
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., fought to preserve existing rules, arguing that Trump’s nominees were particularly bad, but Republicans ultimately united to change the rules. On Thursday, the Senate approved, 53-43 ,a motion that cleared the way for Monday’s final vote.
Time is fast running out for lawmakers to find a way to keep the government funded after Sept. 30, because both chambers are scheduled to be out of session the week of Sept. 22 due to Rosh Hashanah.
Republican leaders are expected to advance a relatively clean continuing resolution, possibly extending to Nov. 20, just ahead of the Thanksgiving break. But the CR can’t pass the Senate without 60 votes, and Schumer is now insisting that Congress also act on the ACA subsidies.
“Republicans have to come to meet with us in a true bipartisan negotiation to satisfy the American people’s need on healthcare and lower people’s costs. Without that, they won’t get our votes plain and simple,” Schumer said.
Negotiators work on USDA, FDA funding
Despite the potential deadlock over a CR, there is some progress being made on fiscal 2026 spending bills. House and Senate appropriators are negotiating a trio of FY26 bills, including the Agriculture measure that funds USDA and the Food and Drug Administration.
The House and Senate Ag spending bills are starkly different in both funding levels and details.
The chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, John Hoeven, told Agri-Pulse House and Senate negotiators “have made great progress on the Ag bill. We're not there yet, but we've made more progress than I would have expected. The House has come around more than I thought they were going to.”
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The House version, which had no Democratic support, would cut spending by $1.2 billion to provide $25.5 billion in FY26. The bipartisan Senate version would provide $27.1 billion for FY26, with much of the difference going to the Women, Infants and Children nutrition assistance program.
The Senate bill also would provide $1.5 billion for the Food for Peace international aid program, $600 million more than the House bill, and the Senate version would require Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins to get approval from House and Senate appropriators before closing or significantly cutting staff at various field offices.
House Ag focuses on specialty crops
The House Ag Committee will host a full committee meeting Tuesday to examine the specialty crop industry.
California second-generation business owner Michael Frantz, president of Frantz Wholesale Nursery Company, will share insights into the dynamics that impact greenhouse and nursery operations across the country. His testimony will highlight the importance of passing a farm bill and the innovation and resilience of growers.
“I will work to ensure the voices of specialty crop growers are heard as policies are shaped that directly impact our ability to do business,” Frantz said.
Additional witnesses include Grimmway Farms Vice President of External Affairs and Corporate Responsibility Dana Brennan, representing the International Fresh Produce Association; and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Tim Boring, representing the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture; and Oregon State University pollinator specialist Ramesh Sagili.
Here is a list of agriculture or rural-related events scheduled for this week in Washington and elsewhere (all times EDT):
Monday, Sept. 15
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture annual meeting, through Thursday, Rogers, Arkansas.
AmericanHort Impact Washington fly-in through Wednesday.
The Fertilizer Institute hosts World Fertilizer Conference through Wednesday, Chicago.
Organic Trade Association hosts Organic Week through Wednesday, Washington.
North American Millers’ Association fly-in
4 p.m. – USDA releases Crop Progress report.
Tuesday, Sept. 16
10 a.m. – House Agriculture Committee hearing, "An Examination of the State of the Specialty Crop Industry,” 1300 Longworth.
10 a.m. – House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee hearing, “Playing God with the Weather – A Disastrous Forecast,” HVC-210 Capitol.
Noon – Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy webinar, “Shaping the Future of Food: FAQ & Looking Ahead with Executive Director Sophia Murphy.”
1 p.m. – House Oversight and Government Reform Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee hearing, “From Protection to Persecution: EPA Enforcement Gone Rogue Under the Biden Administration,” 2247 Rayburn.
2 p.m. – House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing, “From Gridlock to Growth: Permitting Reform Under the Clean Air Act,” 2123 Rayburn.
5 p.m. – Pet Night on Capitol Hill, HC-5.
Wednesday, Sept. 17
9 a.m. – American Enterprise Institute forum, “Should the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding Be Reversed?”
10 a.m. – Senate Environment and Public Works Committee meeting to consider the nomination of Jeffrey Hall to be an assistant administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and hearing on the Army Corps of Engineers, 562 Dirksen.
10 a.m. – Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee hearing, “Restoring Trust Through Radical Transparency: Reviewing Recent Events at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Implications for Children’s Health,” 430 Dirksen.
Thursday, Sept. 18
Pennsylvania Agricultural Law Symposium, Penn State University.
Center for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting through Friday, Atlanta.
8:30 a.m. – USDA releases Weekly Export Sales report.
10 a.m. – House Agriculture Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development subcommittee hearing, “USDA’s Rural Development: Delivering Vital Programs and Services to Rural America,” 1300 Longworth.
Noon — USDA Tribal Advisory committee meeting, virtual.
Friday, Sept. 19
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