President Donald Trump is extending a ceasefire with Iran that was set to end today. In a social media post Tuesday, he said that Pakistan, which is supporting negotiations, requested the U.S. hold off attacks and that the ceasefire will last indefinitely until Iranian officials submit a new proposal. The blockade on ships heading to Iranian ports will continue, however, he said.
An adviser to the Iranian Parliament's speaker said in his own post on social media that the ceasefire extension "means nothing" and accused the president of buying time to prepare a "surprise strike."
House Ag Dems: Vote down the farm bill
Two senior House Ag Committee Democrats, Reps. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, are urging lawmakers to vote down the farm bill in the full House because the legislation would codify food assistance cuts.
“The stakes are far too high for us to cede ground on the issue of affordability,” the pair write in the letter sent Tuesday afternoon and obtained by Agri-Pulse. “This is a defining issue for us, and this vote is a decisive moment that gives us a strategic opportunity to highlight how the GOP Farm Bill will raise costs while cutting benefits for families that are already struggling to pay for groceries.”
If the farm bill passes, “it will make the affordability crisis worse. It will be much harder for our caucus to credibly talk about food prices while voting to take away help for those struggling to afford groceries.”
The bill is on course to get some Democratic support, which will give Republican leadership a cushion for defectors. House Ag Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson told Agri-Pulse he expects more than 17 Democrats to support the measure in the full House.
About those defectors: Opposition is possible within the GOP. A provision to overturn California’s Proposition 12 animal welfare standard has drawn criticism from states’ rights advocates, while language to protect pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits has faced headway from lawmakers aligned with the Make America Healthy Again movement.
House Freedom Caucus fiscal hawks remain concerned about spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, even though the bill is budget neutral. Thompson met with Freedom Caucus members Monday evening for what he told Agri-Pulse was a “really positive discussion.”
“I suspect we’re going to have a farm bill,” said Maryland GOP Rep. Andy Harris, who serves as chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.
Timeline: Thompson said the Rules Committee could hold a hearing on the bill on Monday or Tuesday of next week, after which it can be put to a floor vote. The deadline for submitting amendments is Wednesday at noon.
Massie commits: Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, who has vocally opposed the pesticide language, has committed to support the bill.
Massie spokesperson John Kennedy notes the bill “includes a pilot program for his signature legislation, the PRIME Act, which would empower affordable choices for healthy food.”
The farm bill has “enough goodness across the board for everybody,” said farm bill whip team member Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis.
E15 hopes rise anew with push to add ethanol language to farm bill
Corn Belt lawmakers hope a fresh E15 proposal in Congress will be attached to a farm bill set for full vote on the House floor by month’s end.
The biofuel measure would clear the path for year-round sales of higher ethanol blends, known as E15, as well as allow EPA to exempt small refiners from national biofuel-blending rules if they are on brink of financial collapse or converting to production of renewable fuel.
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Chairman Thompson tells Agri-Pulse he’s not worried at this point that E15 could hurt prospects for passage of the farm bill. Still, Thompson adds that he’s only interested in amendments that boost support for the farm bill.
Disaster aid of $15B eyed, though drought is a wildcard, Rouzer says
North Carolina Republican Rep. David Rouzer says $15 billion in aid is the figure being discussed for emergency funding tied to wildfires, storms and other weather-related disasters.
The possibility of worsening drought in the U.S. could cause the dollar figure to rise, he says. Rouzer is vice chair of the House Ag subcommittee on farm commodities and risk management.
Lawmakers to press Greer for details on USMCA review, other negotiations
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will be on Capitol Hill today to testify before the Ways and Means Committee on the Trump administration’s 2026 trade agenda.
The hearing is the first of a pair of back-to-back trade hearings, with the USTR appearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. Lawmakers tell Agri-Pulse they want more clarity on the administration’s preparations for a forthcoming review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and other negotiations.
Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., said opening ag markets is “top of mind” for growers in his district, which includes areas around Memphis.
Callahan: U.S. not ‘abandoning’ WTO, but will not be constrained
USTR’s Chief Agricultural Negotiator Julie Callahan says the U.S. does not intend to abandon the World Trade Organization and sees merit in some of its activities. But she stressed on Tuesday that it will not be limited by it.
“We are not abandoning the WTO,” she said during remarks at the University of Nebraska’s Yeutter Institute Tuesday. “We are still actively engaging. We'll continue to do so.”
She said the work at the committee level, which promotes transparency, works on standards and monitors trade agreements, remains a “bright” spot.
“The [sanitary and phytosanitary] committee and others,” she said, “are doing excellent work.”
Final word
CNBC reporter: “There is a worry about, frankly, offending you [by applying for tariff refunds]. Would you find it offensive for [companies] to try to collect a refund?”
President Donald Trump: “I think it’s brilliant if they don’t do that. I actually think, if they don’t do that, they’ve got to know me very well. I’m very honored by what you’ve just said ... If they don’t do that, I’ll remember them, I will tell you that.” – Trump in an interview with CNBC on the fact that several large companies like Apple and Amazon have not applied for refunds.
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