January 20, 2026

Contents

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

What We’re Watching

Congress 

Appropriations 

Congress has just 10 days to enact a funding deal and avoid a partial government shutdown, with the Senate out of session this week and the House still scheduled to adjourn next week. The final FY2026 minibus funding package, released on Monday, includes the Defense, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS and Transportation-HUD bills; along with potential action on tariffs. Member absences and vacancies continue to have an impact on vote margins; therefore, Speaker Johnson (R-LA) will need to make sure there is enough support from all those members who are present and voting for this package to pass the House.

Democrats and Republicans Propose Additional Farm Aid 

The House Agriculture Committee Democrats held a press conference last week to introduce the Farm and Family Relief Act. The bill is intended to address farm income losses, limit the President’s tariffing powers, and delay the SNAP cost-share that goes into effect beginning in October. This is the Democrats’ proposal for additional farm aid that would supplement the $12 billion from USDA through the Farmer Bridge Assistance program. The proposal, however, received lukewarm interest from Republicans despite the bipartisan call for additional farmer aid.  

The next day, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-AR) and Agriculture Appropriations Chair John Hoeven (R-ND) released their own framework  for additional farmer financial support. Their proposal would broaden Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) coverage by  providing funds to cover prevent plant acres, align payment limits with levels in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA), and offer extra aid for losses that exceed national averages. It also provides targeted relief for specialty crop, sugar beet, and cane growers, and raises Farm Ownership and Operating Loan limits to improve producer access to credit. These provisions will need to be tacked onto a larger package moving in Congress, potentially one of the next government spending packages, to make it across the finish line. 

House Members Send Letter on Antitrust to USDA, DOJ 

House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) led a letter, with 21 other House members, to support the USDA-DOJ Memorandum of Understanding aimed at promoting competition for agricultural inputs. The letter praises the initiative but urges the administration to review federal policies that impede competition and requests that these agencies to provide a list of regulations that can be addressed to lower prices for agricultural inputs. A response to the letter was requested by February 13, 2026.  

Administration

USDA Freezes Funding for Minnesota 

Following USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins’ letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) in December, requesting state officials re-certify SNAP recipients, a federal judge in Minnesota has issued an injunction which would allow for SNAP funds to proceed, forcing the Administration to pay any funds already being held up. The letter from USDA, as well as federal activity generally in Minnesota, has generated pushback from House Ag Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN) and Senate Ag Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). At the Dietary Guidelines press conference, Secretary Rollins indicated that their oversight of Minnesota would soon be extended to other blue states due to fraud allegations.  

New Trade Deals Unveiled, More Tariffs Announced 

While the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) considers whether the Trump Administration is allowed to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the President has threatened via Truth Social that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland will face a 10% tariff on goods sent to the US, with an increase to 25% in June 2026 due to their pushback of the US purchase of Greenland. An official statement from the White House has not been released. 

Trump Administration Pauses Immigration Visa Processing 

The Department of State has issued a notice pausing all visa issuances to immigrant visa applications from the countries listed in the release. The notice states “President Trump has made clear that immigrants must be financially self-sufficient and not be a financial burden to Americans. The Department of State is undergoing a full review of all policies, regulations, and guidance to ensure that immigrants from these high-risk countries do not utilize welfare in the United States or become a public charge.”  

USDA Hosts Free Biosecurity Webinars for Dairy and Poultry Producers 

The USDA will offer two free webinars focused on biosecurity best practices to help prevent the introduction and spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The webinars will be open to dairy and poultry producers, and will cover steps producers can take to strengthen biosecurity controls and protect animal health. The webinars will take place on Wednesday, January 28 (Registration) and Friday, January 30 (Registration). 

Notable News 

• How the MAHA Era Is Changing Grocery Aisles – Wall Street Journal
• Trump administration clarifies scope of tariff refunds ahead of Supreme Court ruling – Utility Dive
• Sec. Brooke Rollins: Trump Brings Whole Milk Back to Schools, Undoing Obama’s War on Real Food – Fox News
• US farm economy shows widening cracks as costs rise, jobs vanish – Reuters
• For the World’s Food Supply, Federal Funding Cuts Have Long-Term Impacts – New York Times
• Karoline Leavitt, MAHA mom, on whole milk, vaccines and Food Babe – Politico
• Minnesota AG says ‘destructive’ immigration raids are eroding trust in government – PBS 

This Week’s Legislation

• Reps. Greg Steube (R-FL) and Darren Soto (D-FL) have introduced the Ensuring Consistency in Nutrition Labels Act to reduce the FDA’s nutrition labeling deviation threshold from 20% to 5%.
• Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced the Plant Powered School Meals Pilot Act, creating a new grant program for school districts to increase plant-based meal offerings to students.
• Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the Supporting Healthy Interstate Fisheries in Transition (SHIFT) Act to require that the Department of Commerce consider the changing geographic ranges of fish populations as it oversees federal fishery management plans and quota allocations.
• Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI) introduced the Affordable Food and Energy Act of 2026 which would reverse cuts to food and energy assistance for low-income households. 

Upcoming Hearings

Wednesday, January 21 

• 10:00 AM: The House Small Business Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains will hold a hearing titled “Empowering Rural America Through Investment in Innovation.”
• 10:15 AM: The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold an oversight hearing titled “EXPLORE America250: Celebrating One Year of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act.”
• 2:00 PM: The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight will hold a hearing on “Embedded Threats: Foreign Ownership, Hidden Hardware, and Licensing Failures in America’s Transportation Systems.” 

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.