Articles by Rebekah Alvey

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be at USDA today for what’s being billed as a “major announcement.” He’ll be joined by Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins, FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, and Michael Dykes, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association.

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins wants USDA to prioritize U.S. companies and people in the spending of taxpayer dollars.

Senate appropriators unanimously advanced a more moderate, bipartisan plan for 2026 funding levels at USDA, FDA and rural development agencies than their House counterparts, with boosts to WIC and measures to prevent field office closures. 

The Senate will start moving its fiscal 2026 spending bills, including the Agriculture bill that funds USDA and FDA. The ag bill won’t attempt to move Food for Peace to USDA, as originally proposed in the House. But you can expect report language calling for an evaluation to determine the best home for the program once housed at USAID. 

President Donald Trump is facing a backlash from some of his base over his promises to shield farmworkers from mass deportations. So, Trump and Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins stressed at separate events Tuesday that there will be “no amnesty” for farmworkers.

School nutrition advocates are concerned that the substantial cuts to SNAP passed in the Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill” could lead to schools losing eligibility or getting less reimbursement for free meals. 

Biofuel groups have been celebrating advances in the 45Z tax credit for clean fuel producers included in the GOP budget reconciliation bill, with one notable exception. 

House GOP leaders overcame Republican objections to Senate provisions on SNAP, rural hospitals and other issues overnight Thursday to clear President Donald Trump’s massive spending and tax package for his signature. The bill will provide $66 billion in new spending for farm programs, the largest infusion of new money into farm programs since 2002.

House Agriculture Committee Republicans aren’t happy with some of the Senate’s changes to their SNAP reconciliation provisions. But they say other parts of the Republicans’ bill outweigh those concerns. 

Farm groups are urging the House to approve the Senate-passed budget bill and get it to President Donald Trump’s desk. Vice President JD Vance cast the deciding the vote on the legislation Tuesday after a marathon vote-a-rama.