Top agriculture issues are in play this week as lawmakers rush to wrap up annual spending bills by Jan. 30. 

House members return to work Tuesday after a long holiday weekend, tasked with passing four remaining funding bills as Congress seeks to prevent another government shutdown. Measures include spending for the Homeland Security Department. It’s an especially contentious issue after the Jan. 7 shooting death of Renee Nicole Good by an immigration agent in Minneapolis. 

The push by Democrats for DHS reform could slow down progress in completing overdue appropriations measures. 

Based on the current schedule, House members have four days to complete work before next week’s scheduled break. The Senate is out all this week and returns Jan. 26. 

Two key Senate Republicans are looking to add expanded financial aid, likely about $15 billion, for struggling U.S. farmers to whatever funding legislation Congress is able to move. 

It’s unclear if House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., is on board with this effort, although he has expressed support for additional payments to farmers, particularly specialty crop producers. 

House Democrats have separately put forth a plan to help the farm economy as well as take steps they say would help ensure food benefits for low-income families aren’t cut. The proposal from Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., would provide $17 billion in federal assistance to farmers, in addition to the $12 billion already announced by the Trump administration. 

Biofuels in focus 

Farm state members of Congress also are continuing to push to get federal restrictions lifted on full-year U.S. sales of higher ethanol fuel blends, known as E15. The longtime effort by biofuel producers and growers of corn used to make the fuel may be finally near the finish line, Craig, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Ag Committee, told Agri-Pulse on Thursday. 

“The negotiations and conversations leave me optimistic, and right now I’m not optimistic about much so I’ll take it,” Craig said. 

During an appearance on Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, Boozman and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, top Democrat on the Senate Ag Committee, both expressed optimism about finding a legislative vehicle to pass E15, including possibly by adding into a funding measure.  

Biofuel policy will be a main topic this week at a Clean Fuels Alliance America conference in Florida. Representatives from the bio-based diesel and sustainable aviation fuel industries will gather to discuss issues including federal and state regulations, feedstock supplies and marine fuel.

The wait continues on tariff ruling

The Supreme Court will have another opportunity this week to rule on President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs. Tuesday is the next opinion day for the court. The justices do not disclose ahead of time what decisions will be published. 

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The pending legal decision has not deterred the president from making new tariff threats. On Saturday, the president said Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland would face 10% tariffs on U.S. exports, rising to 25% in June, after European military personnel arrived in Greenland. 

The president has not yet followed through on recent tariff threats, including an October threat to hike duties on Canada. It is not clear how the new duties, if enacted, would impact the implementation of recent trade pacts with the UK and European Union. 

The threat is only the latest incidence of Trump using tariffs to advance priorities outside of the trade and economic policy spheres. In an interview with CNBC Friday, Trump’s top trade official defended using tariffs to advance U.S. foreign policy aims. 

“Presidents for decades have always used sanctions authorities to address geopolitical matters,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said. “Tariffs [are] just in the long line of tradition of presidents using American geopolitical power to achieve American geopolitical goals.” 

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Here is a list of agriculture or rural-related events scheduled for this week in Washington and elsewhere (all times EST):

Monday, Jan. 19

Federal holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Tuesday, Jan. 20

Clean Fuels Alliance America conference, through Thursday, San Antonio. 

Wednesday, Jan. 21

10 a.m. – House Small Business subcommittee hearing, “Empowering Rural America Through Investment in Innovation,” 2360 Rayburn. 

Noon – The National Agricultural Law Center virtual conversation with USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden, “Ag Trade, Financial Assistance, USDA Reorganization and Related Issues.”

1 p.m. –  USDA issues Rural America at a Glance, a yearly report on social and economic trends in rural areas. 

3 p.m. – USDA releases Broiler Hatchery report.

Thursday, Jan. 22

10 a.m. – The Washington International Trade Association online event, “USMCA Under Review: Early Takeaways, Stakeholder Engagement, and the Year Ahead.”

2 p.m.. – House Energy & Commerce subcommittee hearing on a legislative proposal to modernize U.S. chemical safety law, strengthen supply chains and expand domestic manufacturing, 2123 Rayburn. 

3 p.m. – USDA releases Liivestock Slaughter report. 

Friday, Jan. 23 

8:30 a.m. – USDA releases Weekly Export Sales report 

Noon – USDA releases Cotton Ginnings report. 

3 p.m. – USDA releases Cattle on Feed report. 

For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.