February 24, 2026

Contents

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

What We’re Watching

Congress 

Farm Bill

House Agriculture Committee Republicans unveiled the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026. This bill addresses the policy issues that 2were not included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and largely uses the base text from the 2024 bill with some changes. Overall, the bill is budget neutral, as well as within titles. This bill marks the first step in the process of getting a farm bill signed into law.  

The Committee has announced a markup that will begin on Tuesday, March 3 at 5pm. Crucial to the path forward is Democratic support for the bill, which will determine likelihood of success on the floor and in the Senate. During the markup in 2024, four democrats voted for passage. While Ranking Member Angie Craig has indicated she will not be voting for the bill, it is likely some rank-and-file members may. Chairman GT Thompson (R-PA) has also indicated he is having conversations with House leadership about getting time for a House vote; however, it is to be determined whether Speaker Johnson (R-LA) will have the votes to bring it to the floor given his thin margins.  

Senate HELP Committee Releases FDA Report

Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who Chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a report titled Patients and Families First: Building the FDA of the Future. While the report focuses on healthcare, it includes a section on food safety, reviews the Human Foods Program, and recommends changes to GRAS. Specifically, the report indicates that the FDA faces challenges in keeping pace with food innovation and rarely reviews and rescinds GRAS determinations, saying “Many ingredients approved as food or color additives or found to be GRAS have not been reviewed for decades, resulting in a lack of updated scientific assessment about their safety. Moreover, FDA struggles with conducting timely reviews of new submissions.” 

Administration

Supreme Court Invalidates IEEPA Tariffs, White House Institutes New Set of Tariffs

On February 20, in a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the President to impose tariffs. The White House immediately pushed back against the ruling by imposing a new broad-based tariff of 10% that went into effect on February 24 and is slated to be in place through 12:01 a.m. EDT on July 24. The White House utilized a new authority, Section 122, which is intended to is address “fundamental international payments problems” such as balance-of-payments deficits. The tariffs under Section 122 are limited to 150 days, with an extension requiring an act of Congress. Collection of payments on the IEEPA tariffs, which have amounted to more than $175 billion, ceased just ahead of the new Section 122 tariffs. While the court invalidated the use of IEEPA for tariffs, it did not order the Administration to provide refunds to importers or walk through a repayment process; leaving the issue to the lower courts and the Administration.  

USDA Rolls Out Farmer Bridge Assistance Application

The Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program is now open for eligible farmers to enroll. Commodity farmers eligible for this funding, totaling $11 billion, include producers of barley, chickpeas, corn, cotton, lentils, oats, peanuts, peas, rice, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, canola, crambe, flax, mustard, rapeseed, safflower, sesame, and sunflower. The application closes on April 17, 2026. There will be a separate enrollment launch under FBA for specialty crop producers, but details are pending.  

Separately, USDA announced an additional $150 million in assistance for American sugar beet and sugar cane farmers. These funds are in addition to the Farmer Bridge Assistance program, where sugar producers were eligible for assistance through the specialty crop portion of the program, which totaled $1 billion. More details can be found here.  

President Trump Announces Largest Deregulation Action Within EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a final rule eliminating both the Obama-era 2009 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Endangerment Finding and all subsequent federal GHG emission standards for all vehicles and engines of model years 2012 to 2027 and beyond. The repeal aims to prevent future administrations from enacting sweeping climate regulations without new action by Congress. As anticipated, a broad group of environmental and public health organizations filed the first legal challenge, arguing that the agency was wrong on both the law and science. More lawsuits are expected.    

USDA Provides Funding for Sec. 32 Purchases of Agriculture Products

Last week, Secretary Brooke Rollins announced $263 million in dairy and agricultural commodity purchases, which will go toward food banks and nutrition assistance programs. Items purchased include butter, cheese products (including cheddar, Swiss, and others), fresh fluid milk, ultra-high temperature milk, chickpeas, dried beans, fresh pears, lentils, pecans, split peas, and walnuts.  

FDA Update on Traceability

The FDA issued guidance regarding implementation of the Food Traceability Rule and also noticed an exemption for certain cottage cheese products from the rule. The guidance aims to respond to questions from stakeholders and provides answers regarding the requirements, including: 

• applicability of the rule on retail food establishments, farmers markets, and restaurants;  
• details about exemptions;
• determinations regarding if a product is “fresh cut”;
• and applicability of the rule to intracompany shipments, packing, and breaking pallets.  

The Partnership for Food Traceability will be organizing a series of engagements along with the FDA for stakeholders to understand concerns and respond to questions. 

USDA Updates Line Speeds

The USDA has announced proposed updates to federal line speed regulations in poultry and pork facilities operating under modern inspection systems. Under the proposal, eligible establishments will be able to operate at speeds that support their processes, equipment, and food safety performance, while maintaining oversight with the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS). If an inspection cannot be performed effectively, FSIS inspectors will be allowed to slow or stop operations. The notice in the federal register can be found here, and the comment period ends April 20, 2026. 

President Trump Issues EO on Glyphosate

On February 18, the White House issued an Executive Order titled “Promoting the National Defense By Ensuring an Adequate Supply of Elemental Phosphorus and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides.” This would ramp up domestic production of glyphosate, noting that phosphorus and glyphosate are essential to both the agricultural and military industries. Notably, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, who has been publicly critical of glyphosate being used in agriculture, defended the action in a post on X. This has caused a significant break in the Secretary’s “Make America Healthy Again” grassroots coalition members, who made eradication of glyphosate a key part of their advocacy efforts.  

USDA Seeks Input on Data Collection 

At the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum, Secretary Rollins announced a Request for Information on Opportunities, Challenges, and Emerging Areas in Statistical Data, Analysis, and Research. Information being requested will be used to improve how data is collected through the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the Office of the Chief Economist. The notice in the Federal Register can be found here, and the comment period ends on April 9, 2026. 

FDA Establishes Regulatory Standards for Produce Safety Oversight 

The FDA, along with the National Association of State Departments (NASDA), the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), and state produce inspection institutions are rolling out new regulatory program standards for produce. This new set of standards, the Produce Regulatory Program Standards, will: 

• create a uniform foundation across produce regulators, including enhanced capabilities of regulatory programs;  
• promote consistency and workforce training;  
• assist programs in developing a risk-based inspection and sampling protocols; and 
• provide a mechanism to build a quality management system to measure performance and accountability.  

Notable News 

• Supreme Court rules against Trump’s tariffs, limiting president’s power to impose taxes – NBC News 
• RFK Jr.’s Next Overhaul: America’s Baby Formula Guidelines – Wall Street Journal
• The Beef Industry Has a Message for Consumers: Get Used to High Prices – Wall Street Journal 
• State-Level MAHA Regulations Will Lead to Spike in Grocery Prices, Study Finds – National Review 
• Top USDA official touts year-round higher-ethanol fuel – E&E News 
• Stopping Sticker Shock at the Grocery Store: A Plan To Make Food More Affordable – Center for American Progress 
• RFK Jr. regulators to weigh processed ingredients’ safety – The Hill 
• Democrats revive a once-taboo idea: Capping grocery prices – Washington Post 
• Brooke Rollins’ chief of staff leaves USDA after a year – Politico 

This Week’s Legislation

• Congressman GT Thompson (R-PA) introduced the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026.
• Congresswoman Julia Letlow (R-LA) introduced the Empowering Rural Communities Act to provide assistance for rural communities seeking federal grants while requiring the federal government to publicly disclose the results achieved by Rural Development spending.
• Congressman Mike Kennedy (R-UT) introduced the Targeted Operations to Remove Catastrophic Hazards (TORCH) Act to advance reforms to forest management and protecting western communities from wildfires. 
• Congressman Craig Goldman (R-TX) introduced the Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy Act, which codifies President Donald Trump’s executive order that requires sunset clauses on all current and future energy regulations.
• Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) introduced an amendment to the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish an office of small farms.   

Upcoming Hearings

*Note – The Farm Bill markup has been postponed until March 3. It was previously scheduled for February 23.  

Tuesday, February 24 

• 9:30 AM: The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing to receive testimony on rebuilding American critical mineral supply chains. 
• 10:15 AM: The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment will hold a hearing titled “From Source to Tap: A Hearing to Examine Challenges and Opportunities for Safe, Reliable, and Affordable Drinking Water.” 
• 10:15 AM: The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a hearing on “Bureaucratic Delays and the Costs to Ratepayers and Electric Power Systems.” 
• 10:30 AM: The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills: H.R.4781, H.R.7126, H.R.1501, H.R.7458, H.R.5929, H.R.2969. 
• 10:30 AM: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills: S.1034, S.1242, S.2437, S.2753, S.3409, S.3500, S.3518, S.3635, S.3684, S.3693, S.3723, S.3725, S.3732, S.3736, S.3737, S.3738, S.3743, S.3792 
• 2:00 PM: The House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled “Strengthening Export Control Enforcement” 

Wednesday, February 25 

• 10:00 AM: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a nomination hearing for Casey Means, of California, to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service, and to be Surgeon General of the Public Health Service for a term of four years. 
• 10:00 AM: The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing to examine the Water Resources Development Act of 2026. 

Thursday, February 26 

• 9:30 AM: The Senate Special Committee on Aging will hold a hearing titled “From Regulator to Roadblock: How FDA Bureaucracy Stifles Innovation.” 

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.