After hours of meetings and tense exchanges, the House finally began debate on the farm bill close to 11 p.m. Wednesday, with leaders aiming for a vote today.
“It is now nearly 11 o’clock at night. This is nuts,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D‑Mass., said on the floor. “What the hell is wrong with you people?”
The path to the floor repeatedly shifted throughout the day as a push to expand the corn ethanol market scrambled the schedule. A plan to consider the farm bill alongside legislation allowing year‑round sales of E15 appeared to unravel amid opposition from independent refiners, sending farm‑state Republicans into Speaker Mike Johnson’s office as the strategy fell apart. The E15 bill is now expected to be taken up in two weeks — a timeline that drew skepticism from Rep. Angie Craig, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee.
The bill also faces bipartisan resistance to a pesticide‑labeling provision critics say shields chemical companies from liability, prompting unusually public clashes among Republicans.
“I have now been accosted by two Republican members of Congress for trying to remove pesticide liability protections,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R‑Fla., said on social media.
USDA updates export financing program
The Agriculture Department is mounting an initiative to increase access and provide more flexibility in its GSM-102 export credit guarantee program.
In remarks at the Export-Import Bank’s annual conference Wednesday, USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg said the effort would open the program to new regions and markets.
The goal, he said, is to “make sure that any buyer overseas who wants to purchase American agricultural products has the financing they need.”
The Financial Assurance to Revitalize Markets, or FARM, initiative will eliminate regional restrictions on trade finance and provide 100% payment guarantees in certain high-risk markets.
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The administration also tweaked GSM-102 repayment options in February, allowing buyers to pay back the full debt 18 months after borrowing, if needed.
Lindberg and a USDA official told Agri-Pulse on the sidelines of the event that the measures are the result of a string of stakeholder meetings where GSM-102 users made recommendations for reform.
Take note: During the event, Lindberg also signed an MOU to deepen USDA cooperation with Ex-Im and more closely align the two organizations’ work on agricultural export promotion, as Agri-Pulse reported in yesterday’s Daybreak.
USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg and Ex-Im Chair John Jovanovic sign an MOU. (Agri-Pulse photos)
Thompson: USMCA must remain intact
House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson is backing the reauthorization of a North American trade pact, with some adjustments, and is making the case to the administration.
“I want to see USMCA kept intact,” Thompson told reporters Wednesday, referring to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. “I think that's just the best approach.”
Thompson said he met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer this week as the administration prepares for a six-year review this summer. The Pennsylvania Republican said he would like to see issues around Canada’s dairy market access addressed, but stressed that the deal should be extended.
“USMCA was a really good achievement under the first Trump administration,” Thompson said – although Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with the deal in recent months.
He also said he likes the idea of revising a trade deal several years after its negotiation.
“Everything around here needs to be reauthorized periodically to make sure it's updated and make sure it's addressing the new challenges that are out there,” Thompson said.
Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., is introduced by Agri-Pulse’s Lydia Johnson at a National Association of Farm Broadcasting event. (Agri-Pulse photo)
Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., addresses reporters at NAFB Washington Watch. (Agri-Pulse photo)
House appropriators advance ag spending bill
House Appropriations Committee Republicans beat back Democratic amendments to the fiscal 2027 agriculture spending bill to boost staffing at USDA, restore funding for Food for Peace and study the impact of cuts to the Rural Energy for America Program.
The committee advanced the bill to the House floor by a 35-25 vote on Wednesday.
At a markup of the bill, which also funds the Food and Drug Administration, GOP members voted against the vast majority of the Democrats’ amendments, including one offered by Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania to boost spending for Food for Peace by $300 million to $1.2 billion, the current funding level.
The committee also rejected an amendment offered by Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, to withhold 25% of the funds in the bill for the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture until staffing levels at USDA are restored to the pre-Trump administration level.
The committee also voted down an amendment to restore the annual Household Food Security report that was cut by USDA last year.
Take note: The bill would fund USDA at $22.5 billion, 3% less than the current fiscal year but $1.8 billion above the administration proposal.
Final USDA nominee vote punted again
A Senate Ag Committee vote to advance the nomination of Glen Smith to be undersecretary of agriculture for rural development has been postponed again.
A committee aide confirmed the delay is because all 12 Republican committee members were not present. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., did not vote on Wednesday.
A new date has not been set, according to the aide.
FDA analysis finds low contaminant levels in infant formula
An “overwhelming majority” of infant formula samples tested as part of a recent FDA review contained either very low or undetectable levels of contaminants, the agency announced Monday.
Tests were performed in the U.S. on 312 samples across 16 brands between 2023 and 2025 for arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, PFAS, pesticides, phthalates, non-phthalates and plasticizers. It was, FDA said, “the largest and most comprehensive examination of chemical contaminants in infant formula available on the U.S. market and affirm that infant formula is safe,” according to the agency’s summary.
Take note: FDA ran tests on 318 pesticides, including glyphosate and glufosinate. The results: “309 samples (99%) had no detectable pesticides, and glyphosate and glufosinate were not detected in any samples.”
NRCS opens applications for agriculture easement program
The Agriculture Department is taking applications for up to $200 million in Agricultural Conservation Easement Program funding through May 29.
ACEP provides cost-share assistance for purchasing agricultural land easements. This is the second national application period for the program this year, according to a press release.
Rail merger opponents launch coalition
The American Farm Bureau Federation and the American Chemistry Council are joining with rail companies and worker unions to fight a proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern.
The new Stop the Rail Merger Coalition, which launched Wednesday, wants the Surface Transportation Board to reject the merger, which would create the nation’s first coast-to-coast railroad company with tracks spanning around 50,000 miles.
Other groups in the coalition include the Alliance for Chemical Distribution, BNSF Railway, Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway, the National Industrial Transportation League, and the Teamsters Rail Conference.
Final word
“E15, E15, E15. If you ask me my legislative priorities right now, those are the top three,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., emphasizing his continued push for year-round E15 in remarks to National Association of Farm Broadcasting members during the group’s annual Washington Watch event.
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