Congress returns from holiday break this week faced with a mountain of unfinished work in what’s certain to be a raucous midterm-election year, starting with the possibility of another government shutdown at the end of this month.
Venezuela also will be getting a lot of attention in Washington this week in the wake of the U.S. arrest of President Nicolas Maduro.
The United States has been the second-largest exporter of farm products to Venezuela with a 26% market share, according to USDA. Brazil is Venezuela’s largest supplier. The main U.S. ag exports included soybean meal, corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, and consumer products.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on NBC’ Meet the Press Sunday that the Trump administration is pursuing the national interest of the U.S. when it comes to Venezuela.
“No more drug trafficking. No more Iran-Hezbollah presence there. And no more using the oil industry to enrich all our adversaries around the world and not benefiting the people of Venezuela or frankly benefiting the United States and the region,” Rubio said.
Looking ahead on Capitol Hill, House Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., has said he wants to move a farm bill this month to reauthorize key programs not included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last July. The piecemeal approach follows lawmakers failing once again last year to clear a full, five-year ag measure. The last time that happened was 2018, and the partisan divide since then has only widened.
Whatever Thompson’s committee does in January, it’s at risk of being overshadowed by the looming Jan. 30 deadline for lawmakers to pass the remaining fiscal 2026 spending measures.
If lawmakers can't finalize those bills, or agree on another stopgap funding measure, the government goes into another shutdown after the record-long closure last fall that disrupted food benefits for low-income Americans, furloughed federal workers, and led to travel chaos at the country’s biggest airports.
A fight between Republicans and Democrats over national health-care policy is still a sticking point. The attempt to find common ground may be stronger this time though after the estimated economic damage from the last stalemate on Capitol Hill. As of Friday, the crypto prediction venue Polymarket had the chance of another shutdown at 28%, down from nearly 40% in mid-December.
The Agriculture Department and Food and Drug Administration wouldn’t be affected by a shutdown this time because Congress passed the fiscal 2026 funding legislation for them in November. Because of that there is no risk that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits would be suspended.
Out of the next four weeks, the House and Senate are scheduled to be in session at the same time for just eight days.
More farm aid?
It’s impossible to talk about the outlook for agriculture legislation this year without taking into account that 33 Senate seats and all 435 House districts are up for election on Nov. 3. Potential nailbiters include congressional races in farm-heavy Iowa and Wisconsin. Potential tight Senate contests will play out in Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio.
Meanwhile, lawmakers returning from the holiday break face calls from farmers to do more to help deal with lagging demand and high production costs.
The Trump administration’s planned allotment of aid is not enough to ensure farmers can stay in business this year, the American Soybean Association said. The soy industry was hit especially hard last year from fewer crop sales to China.
See Agri-Pulse’s tracker of China’s recent purchases of U.S. soybeans here.
Corn sector on watch
The outlook for corn, the biggest U.S. crop, is in sharp focus as lawmakers get back to work this week. A bill spearheaded by Sen. Debra Fischer, R-Neb., to allow year-round, nationwide sales of higher blends of ethanol, known as E15, has failed to get over the finish line for years. With more than a third of U.S. corn used each year to make ethanol, the industry and farm state lawmakers are hoping to find a way to quickly pass the measure early this year. That includes potentially adding it to funding legislation needed by Jan. 30 to keep the government open.
"We'll certainly be working to get that done and included," Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told Agri-Pulse last month.
The Senate returns for full session on Monday, the House on Tuesday
Here is a list of agriculture or rural-related events scheduled for this week in Washington and elsewhere (all times EST):
Monday, Jan. 5
8:30 a.m. – USDA releases backlogged export sales for the week ended Dec. 25.
3 p.m. – USDA releases monthly report on dairy products.
Tuesday, Jan. 6
The National Potato Council holds Potato Expo 2026, through Thursday, Dallas.
Wednesday, Jan. 7
FARMCON, Conference for Creative Minds in Agriculture, through Thursday, Kansas City, Missouri.
3 p.m. – USDA broiler hatchery report.
Thursday, Jan. 8
8:30 a.m. – USDA releases backlogged export sales for the week ended Jan. 1.
10 a.m. – House Natural Resources holds a subcommittee hearing, “Fix Our Forests for Affordable and Reliable Water and Power Supplies,” 1324 Longworth.
Friday, Jan. 9
American Farm Bureau Federation annual convention, through July 12, Anaheim, California.
11 a.m. – USDA releases livestock and meat international trade data.
For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.
.webp?t=1762183428)
