Democrats are denouncing President Donald Trump’s request for Congress to slash USDA’s budget by $4.9 billion and boost defense funding to the highest level in decades at $1.5 trillion.
The proposed fiscal 2027 budget “cuts nearly one-fifth of USDA’s entire budget at a time when our farmers are already struggling,” says Sen. Amy Klobuchar, top Democrat on the Senate Ag Committee.
Her fellow Minnesotan and House Ag Committee counterpart Angie Craig blasted the administration’s attempt to “gut key programs” for farmers while focusing on military conflict in the Middle East that’s driving fertilizer costs higher.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, decried the White House’s push for more money for war while seeking to cut rural health programs by $95 million and eliminate programs like LIHEAP, which helps low-income families and seniors to pay energy bills.
GOP reaction more measured: The chairs of the Senate and House appropriations committees took a different tack. Maine Sen. Susan Collins echoed Murray’s LIHEAP criticism and noted the administration is proposing steep cuts in the Essential Air Service program that’s meant to ensure rural communities have adequate airline service. She agreed that military spending needs to increase, but left unaddressed the question of whether she supports the massive increase Trump is proposing.
House chair Tom Cole of Oklahoma outlined his committee’s priorities, concluding by saying, “In reflection of President Trump's agenda, responsible funding decisions that target resources where they're needed most and keep our nation safe and secure will continue in FY27.”
Metals tariff adjustments met with optimism in Europe
Trump’s decision to narrow the scope of U.S. metals tariffs and lower the duty on finished products is sparking some optimism in Brussels.
The European Parliament had made its support for the U.S.-EU deal contingent on the U.S. reducing tariffs on EU steel and aluminum. Last week, the administration exempted products with low levels of metal content from the duties and reduced the rate applied to finished products.
Bernd Lange, who chairs the parliament’s international trade committee, called the announcement a “welcomed step” in a post to X. But he argued that “more needs to be done,” and stressed the EU is looking for a 15% tariff cap, as agreed in the Turnberry deal.
Raw steel and aluminum products are still subject to a 50% U.S. tariff.
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Take note: After a period of rising transatlantic trade frictions earlier this year when Trump turned his focus to Greenland, recent signs suggest tensions may be cooling. The European Parliament gave its conditional approval for the U.S.-EU deal last month, clearing a major hurdle for the deal.
In the rollout of new 100% pharmaceutical tariffs last week, the administration set European products at a lower 15% rate.
Soy and canola groups cheer heart association’s shoutout to seed oil
Growers and crushers of soybeans and canola got a jolt of good nutrition news last week with the latest dietary guidelines from the American Heart Association.
The guidance “explicitly names soybean and canola oils as components of heart-healthy dietary patterns and recommends them as preferred sources of unsaturated fat for lowering coronary heart disease risk,” note the National Oilseed Processors Association, American Soybean Association and U.S. Canola Association.
The heart association also recommends getting more protein from plants, like peas and lentils.
Democrat Cory Booker isn’t ruling out a 2028 White House run
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is opening the door to another possible run for the White House.
Booker, who is widely expected to win his Senate reelection race this year, tells NYC TV station PIX11 he’s not “ruling anything out” for the 2028 elections.
Booker was a presidential Democratic candidate in 2020. He’s in line to potentially be top Democrat on the Senate Ag Committee next year.
Colorado JBS workers return to work after three-week strike
Workers at a major JBS beef processing facility in Greeley, Colorado, plan to return to work Tuesday as negotiations over a new contract resume, ending a strike that began on March 17.
Workers will return to work on April 7 ahead of meetings between representatives of JBS and the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 scheduled for April 9 and 10, according to a union press release. Over the past three weeks, workers at the plant have been on strike over issues including wages and equipment expenses.
The facility processes between 5,000 and 6,000 cattle daily, according to the Greeley Tribune.
Corn refiners head talks MAHA, food processing on Open Mic
The Make America Healthy Again movement should be commended for its focus on preventive care and taking “a broader approach to prevention in health,” Corn Refiners Association President and CEO John Bode tells Agri-Pulse Open Mic with Jeff Nalley.
But when it comes to food processing, MAHA has things “upside down,” he adds.
“Processing often makes food safer,” he says. “You look at these general definitions of ultraprocessed, it would seem to capture things like yogurt that people ought to be eating more of. So my view is we need to have a science-based approach, be clear what the definition is intended to be used for and then have a definition that meets that objective.”
The CRA has harshly criticized a February 60 Minutes report as inaccurate and said comments made in it by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., were “dangerous.”
“I thought there were some parts of that that were just off the mark,” Bode says on Open Mic. “Suggesting that our food system and the American diet is hurt by our farm programs is simply groundless. Somebody who says that doesn't understand our farm support programs and certainly is unable to do the basic math.”
Bode also decried the loss of export markets for the U.S. food and ag sectors – down $5.4 billion year over year, and a decline of about 10% over the last 10 years.
Final word
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP” – Trump’s Truth Social post on Sunday morning.
Kim Chipman, Oliver Ward and Noah Wicks contributed to today’s Daybreak.
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