January 6, 2026

Contents

• What We’re Watching
• Notable News
• This Week’s Legislation
• Upcoming Hearings
• Contact the Team

What We’re Watching

Congress 

This is the first week back for both Chambers with the House and Senate both in session from January 6th until January 15th. Immediate priorities include appropriations, Affordable Care Act subsidies, and foreign affairs, but Members will already be looking forward to the November midterm elections, which will have a heavy influence on their actions. You can find the 2026 Congressional calendar here.  

The nine remaining FY26 appropriations bills are set to expire on January 30th. To get the process moving forward, on Monday, the House Appropriations Committee released the conferenced text for a second minibus that includes three bills, Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS); Energy and Water Development (E&W); and Interior and Environment (Interior). Summaries of funding bills included in the package can be found here: CJS; E&W; Interior. The bills largely reject the significant funding cuts proposed in the President’s FY26 Budget Request. In what is being described as a MAHA victory, the final Interior bill did not include pesticide preemption language included in the House bill that MAHA advocates claimed would shield companies from any litigation over the impact of use of pesticides. 

Administration

USDA Research Priorities 2026

Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins released a Secretary’s Memorandum titled “A Directive on Departmental Research and Development Priorities” on December 30. The memorandum outlined five research priorities – Increasing Profitability of Farmers and Ranchers; Expanding Markets and Creating New Uses of U.S. Agricultural Products; Protecting the Integrity of American Agriculture from Invasive Species; Promoting Soil Health to Regenerate Long-Term Productivity of Land; and Improving Human Health through Precision Nutrition and Food Quality. The full announcement and document can be found here.  

USDA Releases Bridge Payment Rates

On December 31, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins released commodity-specific payment rates for the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program (FBA). The full list of per acre payment rates can be found here. USDA has stated that farmers can expect payments in their bank accounts by February 28. As a reminder, the program totals $12B with 11B for commodity crops and $1B for specialty crops and sugar. Details for how payments will be distributed for specialty crops and sugar have not yet been announced.  

ERS Food Insecurity Report 

The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) released their food insecurity report, finding that food insecurity has remained relatively unchanged through 2024. The report finds that 13.7% — about 18.3 million households — were food insecure at some point during the year, which is statistically similar to 2023 and 2022.  The continued rates of food insecurity are reflective of broader economic conditions, household circumstances, and policy environments rather than short-term fluctuations alone, and without a significant change in incomes, prices, or support, food insecurity will remain a challenge for American families. As of September 20, 2025, USDA has announced that future Household Food Security reports will no longer be released, and this is the final edition.

Antidumping Petition Filed on Fresh Winter Strawberries

On December 31, a coalition of domestic producers from Florida filed an antidumping petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission against imports of fresh winter strawberries from Mexico. The petitioner alleges a dumping margin of 116.69%.  Rarely seen in trade remedy cases, a state-level government agency, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, was also listed as a petitioner. If dumping is found, preliminary duty announcements are expected to take place during late Summer 2026. 

SNAP Waivers Begin 

USDA has provided a plan to enforce the waivers in the 18 states that have been approved, with Indiana, Nebraska, Utah, Iowa, and West Virginia waivers set to begin this month. Following implementation of each State agency’s SNAP Food Restriction Waiver, existing SNAP authorized retailers that are required to comply with that State’s waiver will have a 90-day grace period tied to the implementation date. After the grace period ends, ROC investigators will incorporate attempts to purchase restricted items according to the state policy, and in the event of non-compliance, FNS will send a warning letter on the first offense. The second offense found will trigger an involuntary withdrawal of the retailer from the program, though the retailer may reapply after withdrawing. 

Notable News 

• GOP lawmaker Doug LaMalfa dies at 65 – Politico
• Walz drops bid for reelection as Minn. governor while Klobuchar considers run – Washington Post
• Farmers head into 2026 facing uncertain trade and crop prices — but beef remains a bright spot – Wisconsin Public Radio
• SNAP bans on soda, candy and other foods take effect in five states Jan. 1 – ABC News
• What the capture of Venezuela’s Maduro means for oil prices and commodities – Pro Farmer
• 2026 is a hinge in history that will define Trump’s second term and legacy – CNN
• New year brings new cuts to federal food aid in more than a dozen states – NPR
• USDA Announces Payment Rates By commodity For Farmer Bridge Assistance Program – Southeast AgNet 

This Week’s Legislation

Check back next week for more updates. 

Upcoming Hearings

Thursday, January 8  

• 10:00 AM ET: House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Hearing titled “Fix Our Forests for Affordable and Reliable Water and Power Supplies.”  

Contact the Team

Feel free to contact Michael Torrey, Tara Smith, Cassandra Kuball, Barbara Patterson, Katie Naessens, Julie McClure, Nona McCoy, Danielle Nelson, Ashley Smith, Olivia Lucanie, Caroline Sowinski, Eden Lambert, Tracy Boyle, or Grace Walker with any questions or comments.

Food and agricultural organizations that need the right results in Washington, D.C. can trust Torrey Advisory Group to put its relationships, reputation, and expertise to work on your issue. Since 2005, the firm has successfully provided legislative and regulatory guidance, issues management, and association management services to a wide variety of clients. Learn more about us at torreydc.com.