March 3, 2026

Contents

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

What We’re Watching

Congress 

Farm Bill

The House Agriculture Committee will begin marking up the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 today (Tuesday, March 3) at 6:00 PM, and is likely to continue into Wednesday, March 4. The Agriculture Committee website has a full page dedicated to the farm bill with resources which can be found here, and amendment submissions will be open through Tuesday. A breakdown of the marker bills shows that there are 149 bipartisan bills, 18 Republican only bills, and 14 Democrat only bills. Chairman GT Thompson (R-PA) has stated that he intends to keep “poison pill” language out of the bill in hopes to get it passed and moved to the House floor. Meanwhile, Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN) has expressed opposition to the bill and has said she will not be voting for it. It is anticipated, like in the 2024 markup, that a handful of Democrats will still vote for passage.  

The path to the full House floor is less certain. Chairman Thompson has discussed moving the bill by Easter recess, but Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) may not have the votes to bring it to the floor. Due to the large cuts to the nutrition title in last year’s reconciliation package, getting Democratic support will be difficult and there is historically always a faction of Republicans opposed to the bill.  

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-AR) has been reported saying he wants to move a Senate version of the farm bill in the Spring but will be watching how the House markup plays out.  

Appropriations 

The House Appropriations Committee released their deadlines for appropriations requests through a “Dear Colleague” letter to members. Beginning Wednesday, February 25, members are now allowed to submit programmatic and language requests, as well as Community Project Funding requests for FY2027. The full notice can be found here. The Ag-FDA Appropriations Subcommittee deadline will close on Friday, March 13, spurring many House Members to set their personal office deadlines for this week.  

Senate Democrats Write Letter on Affordability 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) released a report titled Trump’s Broken Promises: Devastating America’s Farmers and Working Families. The report discusses how the Trump administration has prioritized monopolies in food and agriculture, which is driving up food prices for household staple items, citing increased costs for beef, coffee, lettuce, and frozen fish, and noting that families paid an average of $310 more for groceries during 2025. Democrats will likely use this messaging ahead of the November midterm elections to focus on affordability and consolidation, building off the Biden administration’s efforts to reduce consolidation in the food and retail industries.   

Senate HELP Committee Holds Nomination Hearing for Surgeon General 

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held their nomination hearing for Casey Means to be Surgeon General under the current administration. While Senators appeared to agree with her stance on improving health outcomes through whole foods, other topics, like vaccines, were points of contention during the hearing. Additionally, her stance on pesticides was toned down in comparison with her previous statements, which aligns with recent remarks made by Secretary Kennedy in the press. Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who is running in a competitive primary, has not indicated whether he will vote for Means to be Surgeon General. It will only take one Republican in opposition (assuming Democrats all vote against Means) to derail her confirmation.   

Administration

USDA Announces Closure of Facilities 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, along with Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden, formally announced the closure of both the USDA South Building and Braddock Place locations, with staff to be reassigned to other regions nationwide. According to the Secretary, over 85 percent of the South Building remains unoccupied, and there is a deferred maintenance backlog valued at $1.6 billion. This development signals the commencement of the USDA Reorganization Plan, which will relocate facilities outside of the National Capital Region. 

President Trump Delivers the State of the Union Address 

President Trump delivered his State of the Union address last week, highlighting the economy, affordability, and tariffs during his record-long remarks. He praised the economy and made claims about how food and cost of living expenses have decreased, while also criticizing the Supreme Court for their ruling on IEEPA tariffs. The President also said that Vice President JD Vance will focus on eliminating fraud in federal programs and encouraged lawmakers to continue efforts to eliminate waste and fraud in programs like SNAP. Notably, there was no mention of the MAHA movement and little attention given to the farm economy.  

USDA Rolls Out New “One Farmer One File” Program 

Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the “One Farmer One File” action to create a single, streamlined record for farmer documents. This initiative is part of an agency-wide modernization effort to unify all Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) systems and remove agency silos, with completion anticipated for 2028.  

HHS, USDA, and EPA Announce Farm Modernization and Food Security Effort 

The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency will be developing a research and evaluation framework for evaluating cumulative exposure across chemical classes in the food supply. The plan focuses on three pillars: better understanding chemicals and the risks to health; increasing federal government investment in regenerative agriculture; and incentives for private sector innovation in farming modernization. USDA will be providing $840 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for regenerative agriculture practices, $200 million will be from the Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and $30 million from EPA to evaluate cost-effective alternatives to pesticides. The full announcement can be read here.  

Notable News 

• AI won’t replace farmers — but it may replace tasks, NFU told – FarmingUK
• Overlooked and overexploited: Extensive conversion of grasslands and wetlands driven by global food, feed, and bioenergy demand – PNAS
• Casey Means, a MAHA leader, makes bid to be nation’s top doctor – STAT
• Op-ed: Can the Food Justice Movement and MAHA Find Common Ground? – Civil Eats
• Farm groups call for stable markets after Supreme Court overturns Trump’s tariff – Iowa Public Radio
• Manufacturers group ups fight against RFK Jr. focus on ultra-processed foods – The Hill
• Gov. Shapiro says Pennsylvania is at the “epicenter” of bird flu outbreak: “We are obviously in crisis mode” – CBS News
• Trump’s plan for rising energy costs: pump oil, make data centers pay – LA Times
• Why Food Safety Is Becoming a Community Issue, Not Just a Kitchen Concern – Green Bay Press Gazette 

This Week’s Legislation

• Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-CA) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced the Standardized Calculation of Operational Polluting Emissions (SCOPE) Act to direct the Environmental Protection Agency to stablish voluntary guidance for companies to disclose their indirect Scope 3 emissions. 
• Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) introduced the Restoring Economic Lifelines for Independent Enterprises and Family Businesses (RELIEF) Act to require U.S. Customs and Border Protection to automatically refund tariffs and customs duties collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) since January 1, 2025.
• Reps. Scott Franklin (R-FL) and Sanford Bishop (D-GA) introduced the Land Grant Research Prioritization Act, which would give land grant universities dedicated access to existing USDA grant funding to enhance artificial intelligence, mechanization and other research.
• Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and John Fetterman (D-PA) introduced the Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act to boost security of electronic SNAP benefit cards.
• Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the SNAP Data Transparency and Oversight Act to ensure the USDA has access to state-administered Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program data on waste, fraud, and abuse.
• Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced the Medical Nutrition Therapy Act to expand Medicare beneficiaries’ access to Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT). 

Upcoming Hearings

Tuesday, March 3 

• 5:00 PM: The House Agriculture Committee will hold a markup to consider H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. 

Wednesday, March 4 

• 10:00 AM: The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing to Examine a Discussion Draft, S.__ the Toxic Substances Control Act Fee Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2026.
• 10:30 AM: The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee will hold an oversight hearing on “U.S. Department of Agriculture, Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.”  

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.