February 4, 2025

Contents

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

What We’re Watching

Congress 

Reconciliation

Last week, House Republicans were on a retreat in Florida where they discussed the plan for their budget blueprint, the first step in moving forward with a Reconciliation framework. Targeted savings could total at least $60 billion from the Education and Workforce Committee, $50 billion from the Agriculture Committee and $200 billion from the Energy and Commerce Committee, but it is unclear exactly where the cuts would come from. While the House Budget Committee was expected to mark up its budget resolution this week, the plan now appears to be in peril, with several Members expressing their opposition.

Senate Nomination Hearings

Also last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified in front of both the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. In both hearings, the Make America Healthy Again movement was raised with praise from Senators, while RFK Jr.’s stance on vaccines, and other past controversial opinions, were met with skepticism. While RFK Jr. did mention the importance of working with the food industry and with farmers to reform our food supply, he talked about how pesticides were linked to Parkinson’s and other diseases, reiterated his support for restrictions on SNAP, and said he would work on reforming the GRAS system and the way food additives are regulated.

Both Brooke Rollins and RFK Jr. were voted to advance to the full Senate for confirmation as of Tuesday morning. The Senate has also voted to confirm Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior, Sean Duffy as the Secretary of Transportation, and Chris Wright as the Secretary of Energy.

Committee Assignments Finalized

The Senate Appropriations Committee has released their Subcommittee roster. The Ag-FDA Subcommittee will be led by Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) as Chair and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and the new Subcommittee Ranking Member. Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) are new on the majority side, and Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) are new on the minority side.   

House Hunger Caucus Relaunched

Reps. Tracey Mann (R-KS) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) are relaunching the House Hunger Caucus, a group that focuses on food aid and food insecurity. The House Hunger Caucus has hosted briefings on topics such as major domestic and international hunger programs, food deserts, global agriculture, international school feeding, and child nutrition programs. Both Representatives will be touring D.C. Central Kitchen in honor of the relaunch.

Administration

Trump Announces Tariffs on Mexico and Canada

On Saturday February 1, President Trump signed three executive orders placing a 25% tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico, and a 10% tariff on goods from China. Following this, all three countries announced plans to retaliate by implementing their own tariffs on goods from the United States. The Canadian government reacted first releasing a list of U.S. goods that would be subject to tariffs on February 4. The list included poultry and poultry products, dairy products, tomatoes, wheat, rye, barley, canola, sugar, candy, beans, citrus fruits, stone fruits, coffee, tea, wine, cider, spirits, pepper, spices, condiments, and prepared foods. The full list can be found here. However, by Monday, February 3, both Mexican and Canadian governments reached an agreement with the Trump administration to pause tariffs for one month to allow for negotiations. The White House will be implementing a 10% tariff on all goods from China, while China will be instituting a 15% tariff on U.S. coal and LNG, and a 10% levy on crude oil, agricultural machinery, and some vehicles.

Federal Funding Freeze

Last week, the Office of Management and Budget issued a temporary freeze of “all federal financial assistance” through a brief memo directing federal agencies pause all funding streams and for OMB to review programs – including disaster assistance and economic assistance. Federal programs were to be reviewed to ensure that no funding violated President Trump’s Executive Orders. However, just before the freeze was supposed to go into effect at 5pm on January 28, a federal judge blocked the OMB funding freeze. OMB then put out a notice on Wednesday afternoon rescinding the memo, but subsequent White House communications clarified that while the memo was rescinded and the directive to freeze federal funding still remain in place. There is still uncertainty where the order stands and how federal funding will be impacted.

RMA Announces Webinar for Disaster Protection

The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) is set to host a webinar to further educate producers on the Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI) and the Tropical Storm Option (TS) policies. The webinar will take place on Feb. 13 at 2:00 PM CST. Click here to register and learn more. 

APHIS Resumes Cattle and Bison Imports from Mexico

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will be resuming cattle and bison imports from Mexico in the coming weeks, following a temporary suspension due to a screwworm outbreak. A release from APHIS says that after engaging in extensive discussions, American and Mexican officials have implemented a pre-clearance inspection and treatment protocol to prevent spread. The webinar will take place on Feb. 13 at 2:00 PM CST. Click here to register and learn more. 

Notable News

• Trump will change the face of US food policy. These are the players to watch – The Guardian
• The science behind the FDA ban on food dye Red No. 3 – NPR
• Ag leaders are calling on Washington to protect H-2A workers and the program – RFD TV
• Canada braces for Trump’s tariffs – Washington Post
• The waste and recycling industry outlook for 2025 – Waste Dive

This Week’s Legislation

• Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Smoke and Heat Ready Communities Act, which would provide federal grant funding to states and their efforts to improve air quality.
• Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) introduced a bill directing the Environmental Protection Agency to develop pilot grant programs to research and collect data on aircraft noise and emissions information.
• Reps. Pat Ryan (D-NY) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) introduced the Lower Grocery Prices Act, which requires the GAO to study and report on the price of groceries over the past 20 years and develop a plan to combat price increases and the affordability crisis.
• Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced a bill to provide the Food and Drug Administration with authority to conduct microbial sampling on concentrated animal feeding operations.
• Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) reintroduced the Voluntary Food Climate Labeling Act, to require food producers, manufacturers, and retailers to work with the EPA on developing labels around the carbon footprint of a product. 

Upcoming Hearings

Wednesday, February 5 

• 10:30 AM ET: The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry will hold a hearing on “Perspectives from the Field: Farmer and Rancher Views on the Agricultural Economy, Part 1”

Thursday, February 6 

• 10:00 AM ET:  The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will be holding a hearing titled “Now Ore Never: The Importance of Domestic Mining for U.S. National Security”
• 10:00 AM ET: The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee will be holding a hearing on “Combatting Existing and Emerging Illicit Drug Threats”
• 10:00 AM ET: The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust will hold a hearing on “California Fires and the Consequences of Overregulation”
• 10:00 AM ET: The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing to consider the Nomination of Jamieson Greer, of Maryland, to be United States Trade Representative with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
• 2:00 PM ET: The House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation will be holding a hearing titled “Regarding federally funded research involving animals”

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 Snell, 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.