March 18, 2025

Contents

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

What We’re Watching

Congress 

Appropriations

Over the weekend, Congress passed the Continuing Resolution, which was then signed into law to fund the government through September, the end of the fiscal year. Senate Democrats ultimately decided to vote across the aisle with Republicans to pass the bill, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) publishing an op-ed criticizing the CR but also arguing that a shutdown would give more power to President Trump and Elon Musk over government spending. The CR would increase defense spending by $6 billion while cutting nondefense spending by $13 billion.

Confirmations

Last week, the Senate voted to confirm Lori Chavez-DeRemer to be the Secretary of the Department of Labor. She received bipartisan support and has committed to working with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins on the H-2A program, as well as agricultural workforce programs. Previously, she was the Representative for Oregon District 5.  

Additionally, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted to advance Dr. Marty Makary for FDA Commissioner, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for Director of the National Institute of Health. The nominations will now move to the Senate floor for votes on confirmation. If confirmed, Dr. Makary and Dr. Bhattacharya will join HHS Secretary RFK Jr. and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins on the newly formed MAHA Commission.

Senators Raise Concerns on Food Purchasing Programs

Senate Democrats wrote a letter to the USDA requesting the reversal of a recent order to cancel local food purchasing programs for schools. The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement program and the Local Food for Schools program has provided over $2 billion in purchases to schools and food banks, while also benefitting local farmers. The two programs were implemented in 2021 to support the food supply chain during the pandemic. 

Food Safety Concerns

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins raising concerns with the agency’s decision to terminate the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection. The letter urges the Secretary to reestablish these committees, and cites that “dismissing scientific expertise on the heels of several food contaminations – some deadly –is dangerous and irresponsible,” noting recent food illness outbreaks. The letter requires USDA to answer a series of questions around the termination of these committees and to reaffirm their commitment to food safety moving forward. 

Administration

Economic Assistance for Crop Producers

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins rolled out the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP), the  $10B in economic aid to farmers that was authorized through the American Relief Act at the end of last year. The funding was secured to help commodity producers who faced high input costs and low market prices during the 2024 crop year.  The application period will be open from March 19, 2025, to August 15, 2025. Additional details on eligibility and how to apply can be found here.

Tariffs

On February 10, President Trump signed orders to restore a true 25% tariff on steel and elevate the tariff to 25% on aluminum starting March 12, putting them in effect last week. The tariffs will be in place for all steel and aluminum and their derivatives regardless of source. Therefore, all previously negotiated agreements around steel and aluminum have been rescinded and no exclusions granted going forward.  

Major U.S. suppliers of steel and aluminum have started to respond with retaliatory tariffs. The European Union announced their retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. will begin in April and target a range of U.S. products, including food and agricultural goods. Canada has also announced that starting on March 13 a 25% reciprocal tariff against steel and aluminum products, as well as additional imported U.S. goods worth CAN $14.2 billion, for a total of CAN $29.8 billion.

More details can be found in the following TAG memo.  

Dietary Guidelines

USDA Secretary Rollins and HHS Secretary Kennedy released a joint statement on the Dietary Guidelines, saying they would be conducting a “line-by-line review” of the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. They also committed to releasing the final Guidelines before the December 31 deadline and will make “holistic process improvements to ensure transparency and minimize conflicts of interest.”

Secretary Kennedy Looks to Revise GRAS

Secretary Kennedy released a statement directing the FDA to take steps, including exploring potential rulemaking, to eliminate the GRAS pathway for ingredient approval. If finalized, this proposal would require companies seeking to introduce new ingredients in foods to publicly notify the FDA of their intended use of such ingredients, along with underlying safety data, before they are introduced in the food supply. He also said he wants to remove all dyes from our food supply before he leaves his term as Secretary, and would take his own measures if the food industry was not proactive.

EPA Discusses WOTUS Definitions

The Environmental Protection Agency Commissioner Lee Zeldin announced that the agency, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, would be coming up with a new rule to define the meaning of “waters in the U.S.” as outlined in the Clean Water Act. Bodies of water that align with the WOTUS definition are under federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act, however, the rule is defined one way in 24 states, and a different way in 26, causing discrepancies and confusion.

Notable News

• What 6 Food and Beverage Companies are Saying About Tariffs – Food Dive
• Democrats Clear Way for GOP Funding Bill, Ending Threat of Government Shutdown – Wall Street Journal
• Biofuel Supporters Rally on Capitol Hill For Year-Round Ethanol Access – KFGO
• Small Farms and Food Banks are Caught Off Guard by Spending Cuts – New York Times
• Trump Administration Sued Over Mass Firings By Workers At Five Agencies – Reuters

This Week’s Legislation

• Senators Padilla (D-CA), Merkley (D-OR) and Representatives Thompson (D-CA) and LaMalfa (R-CA) introduced the Smoke Exposure Research Act to improve research and risk management efforts of the impact of smoke on winegrape growers.
• Senators Gillibrand (D-NY) and Wicker (R-MS) introduced the Forest Conservation Easement Program Act, which would help conserve working forests and give landowners more options to ensure their land is protected.
• Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) introduced the Snow Survey Northeast Expansion Act to track mountain snow accumulation and precipitation rates.

Upcoming Hearings

The House and Senate are in recess.

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.