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The House and Senate are racing to reach deals on their respective budget resolutions, with markups scheduled on both sides this week. However, House leadership remains reluctant to accept the Senate’s proposal, even as it struggles to settle internal differences in the party.

The Trump administration is getting off to a much faster start in putting its team into place at USDA than was the case eight years ago, and that means the department is better positioned to deal with issues such as the fallout of a trade war, according to veterans of President Donald Trump’s first term.

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately unfreeze funds, including Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law dollars and those paused by an Office of Management and Budget directive.

Senate GOP leaders have teed up action on five more nominations, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be secretary of health and human services, and Brooke Rollins to be secretary of agriculture.

House Republicans try to agree on a grand plan for enacting President Donald Trump’s tax and spending plans this week, while the Senate GOP is opting for a Plan B, a smaller budget plan that leaves more the costliest issues for later. The Senate is set to consider Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to be secretary of health and human services, and Brooke Rollins' nomination to be secretary of agriculture.

USDA officials are defending a freeze on funding that has snagged several programs. In a statement to Agri-Pulse, the department says the Trump administration “rightfully has asked for a comprehensive review of all contracts, work, and personnel across all federal agencies. Anything that violates the President’s Executive Orders will be subject for review.”

As the House races to put together its budget resolution proposal, Republicans are still torn on how to use SNAP work requirements to pay for their agenda. 

A federal judge has delayed the deadline for federal workers to accept or reject a buyout offer made by the Office of Personnel Management.

Democratic leaders of the House Agriculture Committee and Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee are pushing USDA to explain and detail funding freezes in various agency programs. 

The Senate Agriculture Committee hears today from representatives from major agricultural sectors on the health of the farm economy. The hearing, which will feature almost a dozen witnesses, comes as farmers grapple with multiple economic threats.