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President Donald Trump has his first deal toward his goal of 90 in 90 days. Eighty-nine more to go. And there’s still more work that may be done on the deal announced Thursday with the U.K.

President Donald Trump says he’ll have an announcement of a trade agreement this morning. In a social media post Wednesday night, he said it would be a “major deal” with “a big, and highly respected country. The first of many!!!”

The House Agriculture Committee is planning to mark up its portion of the GOP’s reconciliation bill on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, with opening statements beginning on Tuesday night and votes taking place Wednesday.

The top Republican on the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. Andy Harris, has long championed state pilots to restrict sweetened beverage purchases in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Now that states are filing waivers for these pilots, and the federal government appears open to granting them, Harris has set his sights on what he calls a “bigger and better” idea: Restricting SNAP benefits to U.S.-grown foods.

Next week is shaping up to be a big one for ag policy. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says she’ll release her plan next week for reorganizing and downsizing her department. But she told members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting on Tuesday the downsizing won’t be as “drastic” as some observers fear.

Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee appear confident they can hold a markup early next week on their portion of the budget reconciliation bill, despite remaining policy decisions. 

Some farm bill programs, including increased commodity program spending, may be rolled into the massive budget reconciliation Republicans are crafting, but a legislative fix for California’s Proposition 12 remains on hold until Congress can consider a standalone farm bill. 

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins tells senators that the department is working to rehire some staff, primarily in the Farm Service Agency, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and wildfire response offices. 

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Tuesday the department will unveil its reorganization plan next week and it won’t be as “drastic” as many have feared. Speaking to members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, Rollins confirmed that about 15,000 USDA employees had taken buyouts. 

The Senate Agriculture Committee voted along party lines Monday evening to send two USDA nominations to the Senate floor: Stephen Vaden to be deputy ag secretary and Tyler Clarkson to be USDA’s general counsel.