The House Rules Committee on Monday approved a closed rule, 8-4, to preemptively fund the government until Dec. 4. Federal funding is set to expire at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. The continuing resolution would maintain current funding levels for the Agriculture Department.
The CR does not contain any policy riders that might make it difficult to pass, House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., said. There’s nothing in the measure that’s "remotely controversial,” he said.
The House has already passed its ag appropriations measure, which would provide USDA with nearly $26.3 billion in discretionary funds for FY 27. The Senate has yet to pass its measure, which is why Republicans in the House are moving ahead with a CR.
“I promise you this: If we shut down the government come September 30th, that will be the issue that dominates politics in the next few years. We're just trying to take that off the table for both sides,” Cole said at the markup.
Democrats appeared skeptical about passing a CR months in advance. House Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said at the hearing that “We're going with half ideas and not full knowledge and understanding of what needs to go into a continuing resolution,” adding that she’s willing to move forward with conversations.
The resolution also allows for consideration of the $95 billion reconciliation 3.0 package under a closed rule. The resolution would allow the House Agriculture Committee to add up to $12 billion to the federal deficit to provide farmers with aid. The House is expected to vote on the rule Tuesday.
Cotton urges Pulte to release Chinese investment report
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on Monday sent a letter, obtained by Agri-Pulse, to acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte requesting an update on a mandated report and assessment of investments by China in Brazil’s agricultural sector.
The FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in December, required the National Intelligence director, in consultation with the USDA and State Department, to evaluate President Xi Jinping’s involvement with Brazil’s agriculture industry. The assessment was due Feb. 16, and Congress was supposed to receive an associated report by March 18.
“China’s growing footprint in global agriculture is a deliberate, strategic effort to dominate food production and supply chains in ways that threaten American farmers and food security,” Cotton said in the letter.
Indications suggest the report hasn’t been disclosed to Congress. Cotton said in the letter that he looks forward to working with Pulte to ensure Congress receives the report without further delay. Cotton noted that agriculture is the top industry in his home state of Arkansas. Chinese efforts to reshape the hemisphere’s ports and grain routes to Asia have real consequences, according to Cotton.
“Chinese state-owned companies now have direct access to Brazilian farmers, purchasing their soybeans and overseeing the entire commercialization chain, including storage and transport to China, effectively locking in a supply chain that bypasses American producers entirely,” he said.
Humane VMA urges Congress to keep ‘Save Our Bacon’ act out of farm bill
The Humane Veterinary Medical Alliance sent a letter signed by more than 720 veterinary professionals to Congress urging the chambers to reject adding the “Save Our Bacon” provision to the farm bill. The House-passed version of the farm bill contains the so-called “fix” to California’s Proposition 12 and Massachusetts’ Question 3 that establishes housing requirements for the sale of pork products in those states.
The House farm bill would prohibit states from passing animal welfare laws that would affect requirements for livestock in other states, meaning that they could not impose those standards as a requirement to participate in interstate commerce. Proposition 12 and Question 3 effectively ban gestation crates. The Senate farm bill doesn’t contain the “Save Our Bacon” provision.
“This harmful legislation would strip states and localities of their rights to pass a wide range of measures protecting animal welfare and public health,” the letter says. “The extreme confinement of pigs creates serious mental distress as well. Pigs are highly intelligent, social animals, and isolating them in individual cages so small they can barely move causes frequent repetitive, abnormal behaviors, such as chewing on metal bars.”
A major animal veterinary group, the American Veterinary Medical Association, is backing legislation to invalidate Proposition 12. AVMA expressed its “strong support” for the language in the House farm bill, in a letter to House Ag Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., and Ranking Member Angie Craig, D-Minn., in May.
Arizona draws national attention amid fight for US House
Arizona’s primary elections are under close watch as the Grand Canyon State serves as a political barometer for high-stakes congressional elections later this year. Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, one of the most competitive in the country, is a “tossup,” according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
Voters today pick which Republican and Democrat advance to the Nov. 3 open election to fill the seat being vacated by GOP Rep. David Schweikert.
Democratic contenders include Amish Shah, an ER physician by training, and Marlene Galán-Woods, a former broadcast journalist. Republican hopefuls include former NFL placekicker Jay Feely, backed by Trump, and former state lawmaker Joseph Chaplik, supported by Arizona conservatives such as the Maricopa County sheriff.
Schweikert isn’t running for reelection so he can run for Arizona governor. He’s seen losing in today’s primary to fellow House GOP member Rep. Andy Biggs, Cook predicts.
Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, who isn’t facing any primary challengers, is viewed as a highly vulnerable Democrat. While she’s currently favored to win, the race is expected to be competitive.
Keep an eye on water: A poll released in May showed the top priority for Arizona voters, at 50%, is water supply and protecting the Colorado River. The survey was conducted by the conservative-leaning firm Cygnal.
Arizona, which gets more than a third of its water from the Colorado River, is the second biggest U.S. grower of lettuce after California. Arizona could see big water usage changes in October, as the federal government considers various options, potentially making water a leading issue in November.
FDA says it continues to focus on Taylor Farms lettuce
FDA made it clear that “overwhelming evidence” points to Taylor Farms’ lettuce as the source of a cyclospora outbreak that has sickened people across the U.S.
The agency fired back at the company after it issued a news release claiming FDA had “apologized” to Taylor Farms after mistakenly telling the company its iceberg lettuce from Mexico had tested positive for cyclospora. It was a false positive, FDA told the company Sunday.
In a statement on social media that was followed by a media call, FDA officials said all signs point to Taylor Farms’ lettuce being the source of the outbreak. “FDA’s traceback investigation and outbreak data continue to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms locations in central Mexico,” an agency statement said. The company has recalled lettuce from 27 states.
Read more in our stories at www.Agri-Pulse.com
Final Word
“Today, President Trump took decisive action to hold Canada accountable for its retaliation and discrimination, delivering on his promise to correct trade imbalances and ensure fairness for American workers, farmers and businesses.” — U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, commenting on the new 50% tariffs the U.S. imposed on Canada Monday.
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