The Senate Finance Committee will vote later today on Julie Callahan’s nomination for chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Callahan, who currently serves as assistant USTR for agricultural affairs and commodity policy, should get Republican backing. Committee Chair Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, told Agri-Pulse after Callahan’s initial Senate Finance Committee hearing on Oct. 29 that he was impressed with her performance.
Whether she gets any Democrat votes remains to be seen. Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., declined to comment on Callahan’s performance to Agri-Pulse at the time. And in questions submitted for the record after the hearing, he criticized the administration’s trade policy and the lack of transparency in trade deal negotiations.
“USTR has also refused to share all negotiating texts with Congress,” Wyden wrote, asking Callahan whether she would commit to sharing trade proposals, negotiating texts and draft trade deals, if confirmed.
Callahan said she would commit to “consulting” on negotiating texts.
Take note: In the questions for the record, Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., also floated using the reauthorization of an African trade preference program to bring countries’ biotech regulation in line with the U.S. approach.
Julie Callahan at her hearing (Agri-Pulse photo)China makes large soybean buy
China booked a large order of U.S. soybeans, USDA reported Tuesday. Private exporters reported sales of 792,000 tons, a USDA statement reads, bringing the confirmed China sales since Oct. 30 to just over 1 million tons.
A further 355,000 tons was sold to unknown destinations.
Take note: Sales still have a long way to go to reach the 12 million tons China committed to buying by the end of the 2025. Sales are also behind the same 20-day period from 2024, when Chinese buyers booked almost 5 million tons of U.S. soybeans.
Trump administration to use CIGIE funds, lawmakers say
The Office of Management and Budget will allocate $4.2 million for an entity that trains and supports federal Inspector General offices after previously withholding the funding, according to Senate Appropriations and Judiciary Committee leaders.
Senate Judiciary Committee chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Monday issued a statement noting that the Trump administration has decided to apportion funding for the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.
They said this will ensure the organization can operate through Jan. 30 and will be accompanied by a “programmatic review” of CIGIE’s activities by the Office of Management and Budget.
Take note: Inspectors general websites at USDA and other federal agencies went offline earlier this year after OMB decided to withhold fiscal 2026 funding to the entity, which hosts the sites.
Rail merger could have shipping impacts, GOP legislators say
Fifty-four Republican state legislative leaders say rail networks could risk operational breakdowns and shippers could lose routing flexibility if a proposed merger between Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific happens.
In a letter to members of the Surface Transportation Board, the state legislators say that if the merger happens, “it has the potential to pose significant risks for the industrial and agricultural production that powers state economies and the broader American manufacturing base."
They noted that the combined railroad would control nearly 45% of all U.S. rail tonnage. It would hold “dominant market share" in the chemical, metal, food and iron sectors, they say.
"Many shippers would face limited or no viable rail alternatives at origin or destination, creating a new generation of captive customers,” they wrote.
Hanover Foods fined for exceeding wastewater treatment limits
A Pennsylvania food company will pay $1.15 million for violating its wastewater treatment permit, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
Since 2016, Hanover Foods in Hanover, Pa., exceeded discharge limits more than 600 times for pollutants including suspended solids, ammonia nitrogen and phosphorus, DOJ said in a news release. “In addition, environmental inspections identified numerous alleged violations of operations and maintenance requirements at Hanover Foods’ facility.”
Under the terms of a proposed consent decree, the canning company also will install new equipment “and take other measures to prevent violations of its permit limits for certain nutrients and for temperature,” DOJ said. “Excessive nutrients and high temperatures can be harmful to aquatic life, including fish, shellfish, and underwater grasses that support aquatic ecosystems.”
Final Word
“We have seen some backing off of the uncertainty, but I wouldn't call it an elimination at this point…. We don't have full reporting of our export sales yet. We had a government shutdown, and USDA has said that they will not catch up on the export reporting until the end of this calendar year. So we don't have a very good look at what's actually being purchased by the Chinese…. We have seen positive reactions from markets after the [Trump-Xi] summit, but there's a little bit of a wait and see.” – American Soybean Association Chief Economist Scott Gerlt during a webinar hosted by the International Food Policy Research Institute.
Oliver Ward and Noah Wicks contributed to today’s Daybreak.
