December 9, 2025

Contents

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

What We’re Watching

Congress 

End of Year and Appropriations 

Congress has this week and next week to work through legislative priorities before they adjourn until the end of the year. On Sunday evening, text was released for the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is a must-pass bill for Congress. However, lawmakers do not seem to have a plan to move forward on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which will have implications on health insurance costs in the new year. Additionally, nine of the appropriations bills will expire at the end of January, teeing up a busy first month of 2026. 

In addition to NDAA and a deal on the healthcare subsidies, the House is looking to vote on and pass two pieces of legislation – the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act and the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act – before the end of the year. The Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act, sponsored by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), would provide $250 million annually to facilitate infrastructure and education initiatives in rural counties and on federal land. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which passed the Senate last month, would allow whole milk to be offered in school meal programs.

Farm Bill 

Last week, it was reported by Politico that House Agriculture Committee Chair GT Thompson (R-PA) is looking to punt a farm bill markup to January before the remaining appropriations bills expire. While the farm bill was extended through September 30, 2026, it has been 3 years since a full farm bill has been passed by Congress. Some provisions were addressed in the Republican reconciliation package that was enacted in July, but they did not have bipartisan support, creating challenging dynamics on both sides of the aisle to negotiate and markup a full farm bill. There is also disagreement within leadership on whether to address all of the titles, or only the ones that were not included in the reconciliation package to get a bipartisan agreement.  

Administration

USDA Announces Disaster Aid Package for Farmers

On Monday, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the agency will be rolling out $12 billion in “bridge assistance” to provide aid to farmers. The funds will come from the Commodity Credit Corporation, aimed to help farmers and ranchers who have lost their market shares or have faced financial headwinds due to tariffs and low commodity prices. The package will include $11 billion in one-time payments through the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program to go toward Barley, Chickpeas, Corn, Cotton, Lentils, Oats, Peanuts, Peas, Rice, Sorghum, Soybeans, Wheat, Canola, Crambe, Flax, Mustard, Rapeseed, Safflower, Sesame, and Sunflower​. Commodity-specific payment rates will be announced at the end of this month modeled off of the 2025 crop year, so eligible farmers will have to ensure their 2025 acreage reporting is updated by December 19, 2025. Payments will be expected by February 28, 2026. Another $1 billion will be allocated toward specialty crops, but details are still forthcoming.

FDA GRAS Proposal at White House OMB

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has advanced a proposed rule to the White House, aiming to increase oversight on Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) additives. This proposed rule could significantly impact how substances are classified as GRAS and includes mandatory reporting for food additives except for ones already listed, those with a “no questions letter,” or those covered by existing regulations. It would also include details on how FDA makes the determination that a substance is not GRAS and creates a GRAS notice inventory. The rule is now with the White House Office of Management and Budget, meaning it is set to be released imminently.

USTR Holds Hearing on the First Joint Review of the USMCA

The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) heard testimony last week from various stakeholders on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) around the value of the agreement, and reforms to consider in preparation for the first Six-Year Joint Review of the USMCA on July 1, 2026. Over 100 representatives for major business associations, food and agricultural groups and labor unions as well as researchers and a couple members of Congress testified over the three-day period. Next steps for USTR includes a report to Congress regarding its assessment, actions to be proposed at the review, and the position of the U.S., which is due in early 2026. Despite normal order happening around the Joint Review, President Trump has alluded to withdrawing from the agreement recently, though current assessments indicate that there wouldn’t be broad Congressional support for full-on withdrawal.

FDA Approves New Screwworm and Cattle Fever Tick Treatments

The FDA conditionally approved Exzolt Cattle-CA1, which is a topical solution to prevent New World Screwworm larval infestations, and the control of the cattle fever tick in beef cattle over the age of 2 months. Exzolt Cattle-CA1 has been eligible for conditional approval because “it is intended to prevent and treat serious or life-threatening diseases in cattle, it addresses unmet animal health needs, and demonstrating effectiveness of the drug requires complex or particularly difficult studies,” according to the agency. The treatment underwent an expedited review through the priority zoonotic animal drug (PZAD) designation, an authority provided to the FDA under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

USDA Updates Crop Insurance Programs through Rulemaking

The Expanding Access to Risk Protection Final Rule (EARP) was unveiled last week by Secretary Rollins, aiming to reduce regulatory burdens and streamline reporting requirements across multiple crops. Notable updates include removing the “insured” requirement from the 1 in 4 rule for prevented planting payments, allows policyholders switching Approved Insurance Providers to submit production reports directly to the new provider, removes the “automatic nullification” rule, and allows insurance under the Dollar Plan for direct-marketed fresh market tomatoes and peppers beginning with the 2027 crop year. The full announcement can be found here, and USDA will be accepting comments until January 27, 2026. 

Notable News 

• New Dietary Guidelines Delayed Until Early 2026 – New York Times 
• Study that said glyphosate herbicide is safe retracted 25 years after publication – CTV News 
• Repealing Grocery Taxes to Ease Cost Pressures on Working Families – America First Policy Institute  
• World Food Prices Fall for Third Straight Month – Wall Street Journal 
• Volumes of Recalled Food at both the FDA and FSIS Have Increased Dramatically – Food Safety News 
• Costco sues Trump administration over tariffs, seeks full refund – Washington Post

This Week’s Legislation

• Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) have reintroduced the Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act, which would authorize grants for states to provide financial assistance to affected farmers, expand monitoring and testing, remediate PFAS, and help farmers relocate.
• Representative Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI) introduced the Affordable Clean Water Infrastructure Act to promote clean water infrastructure projects in rural, low-income, and high-need communities.
• Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced the Food Assistance Integrity and Responsibility (FAIR) Act to require photo IDs on EBT cards.
• Representative Chuck Edwards (R-NC) introduced the Advance Tree Assistance Program Payments Act to help orchardists and nursery tree growers replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes, and vines damaged by natural disasters and plant disease.
• Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced a bill to assist Indian Tribes in protecting Native American seeds. 

Upcoming Hearings

Tuesday, December 9

• 2:00 PM: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families will hold a hearing titled “Building Pathways: Advancing Workforce Development in the 21st Century.”
• 4:30 PM: The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing on a “Review of the Activities and Fiscal Year 2026 Funding Priorities of the Office of the United States Trade Representative.” 

Wednesday, December 10 

• 10:00 AM: The House Agriculture Committee will hold their Member Day hearing. 
• 2:00 PM: The House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled “The U.S. India Strategic Partnership: Securing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.” 

Thursday, December 11 

• 2:00 PM: The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a legislative hearing. 

Other hearings for this week can be found here.  

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.