March 24, 2026

Contents

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

What We’re Watching

Congress 

Appropriations 

The House and Senate appropriations processes for FY2027 continue to move forward, with most House Appropriations deadlines having wrapped up in mid-March. The Senate Appropriations Committee released their guidance and deadlines for FY2027 with most portals closing mid-April. This week, the House Ag-Appropriations Subcommittee, in addition to other Appropriations subcommittees, will hold their Member Day hearing. Member Day hearings allow non-subcommittee members to have a chance to raise priority issues that they would like to see included in the bill. Official markup dates are still pending, but many are anticipated for the end of April. Even though Congress is moving ahead with the FY2027 process, President Trump has still not yet released his FY2027 budget proposal. 

While Congress is moving full steam ahead on FY2027, a reminder that the government is still under a partial shutdown as funding for the FY2026 DHS bill expired on Feb 13. Negotiations continue between Congress and the White House, with a possible deal in the works that would fund all of DHS except for parts of ICE and also include some reforms that Democrats have identified. ICE funding could come later through a second reconciliation effort, which now appears to have more momentum and would certainly take up considerable calendar time if it does materialize. 

Farm Bill 

In the House, Republicans are working to whip votes to ensure passage of a farm bill on the House floor. House Agriculture Committee Chair GT Thompson (R-PA) has expressed a desire to move the bill before Easter; however, other Republican priorities and the ongoing conflict in Iran may delay that timeline until later in the spring. Report language from the Committee  is still pending release.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, Agriculture Committee leadership is focused on a $15 billion relief aid package, which could be included in a larger disaster package addressing funding for the conflict in Iran. Out of that $15 billion, there is likely a certain portion of the funding that will be alloated toward specialty crop growers, but that exact amount is being negotiated on the Hill.  

Sen. Warren Writes Letter Questioning Coffee Prices and Tariffs

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, wrote letters to Keurig Dr Pepper and J.M. Smucker requesting information on the impact of tariffs on coffee prices. Questions focused on consumer prices, total estimated cost , whether the companies will adjust prices, retailer partnerships, and how companies will handle refunds from the Supreme Court IEEPA ruling. Responses are due by March 26, 2026.  

Senators Write Letter to Department of Education on Agriculture Programs 

A group of Democrat Senators wrote a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon urging the agency to issue a notice inviting applications as soon as possible for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). Both programs support agricultural farmworker students; HEP is focused on ensuring students who have dropped out of high school receive their High School Equivalency Credential, and CAMP assists first year migrant college students with academic and financial support. The Department of Education cancelled the competition for HEP and CAMP, which eliminated 30 programs competing for grant funding in FY 2025, but the FY 2026 Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill directed the agency to administer these programs in a timely manner. 

Senators Introduce Bill on Fertilizer Pricing Transparency 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) led the introduction of the Fertilizer Transparency Act. The bill would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to collect and publish data on fertilizer prices from manufacturers on a weekly basis, instead of the current annual voluntary survey on the prices producers pay for inputs. Fertilizer costs have been a priority of the administration as well, following a Presidential Executive Order around bolstering domestic supply of elemental phosphorus. 

Administration

White House Establishes Fraud Task Force 

The White House released a  Presidential Action on “Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud” which would establish a multi-agency task force to identify fraud in federal assistance programs, and would “coordinate member agency efforts to adopt minimum anti-fraud requirements for transactions and processes identified to prevent fraud and loopholes that allow for systemic abuse and exploitation.” The task force will also be directed to withhold federal funds from jurisdictions that do not have adequate anti-fraud requirements, like proof of identification, affirmative documentation requirements, data-sharing processes, and other fraud-prevention tools identified.  

Federal Judge Rules Against Trump Administration on Egg Production Regulations 

A federal judge rejected the Trump administration’s lawsuit to nullify the California laws regarding egg production regulations. The administration argued that California laws and regulations on the sale and shipment of eggs were preempted by federal law and targeted AB 1437, Proposition 2, and Proposition 12. The judge ruled that the administration did not have legal standing to bring the claim and raised concerns about the type of precedent this could set. The ruling may be appealed by the administration.  

Trump Administration Waives Jones Act

Last week, the Trump administration announced the Jones Act would be waived for 60 days as the ongoing conflict with Iran continues and strains supply chains. The Jones Act requires that goods hauled between U.S. ports be moved on U.S. flagged vessels, prohibiting foreign-flagged ships from domestic ports. While the Jones Act has been criticized for creating bottlenecks for the delivery of goods and critical aid, the decision has received mixed responses. Some analysts argue that this will not make a difference on fuel prices, while others are optimistic this could be a short-term solution to the closure of movement through the Strait of Hormuz. 

USDA Delays Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems 

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems final rule will be delayed from July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027. The rule, which was finalized during the Biden administration, intended to prohibit poultry processors from deducting pay to contract poultry growers with a poor-performing flock. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will be accepting public comments on the delay. 

Notable News

• Iran crisis: food volume recovery in jeopardy from new inflation wave – JustFood
• Agriculture is changing. Here’s how technology is creating new jobs – USA Today
• RFK Jr. makes food sound like a miracle drug. Researchers say he often overstates the science – Fox News
• Trump nomination of Mullin for DHS chief advances out of Senate committee – Washington Post
• Trump hosting big White House event around EPA’s biofuels mandates decision – CBS News
• Farming Futures: Smart greenhouses are changing food production – USA Today
• House committee advances bill targeting non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses – S&P
• Defining ‘ultraprocessed’ could spur research, school lunch rules – Roll Call 

This Week’s Legislation

• Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced the Rural Hospital Revitalization Act to provide zero-interest loans through the USDA Community Facilities Program to qualifying hospitals for new construction or renovation of existing hospital facilities.  
• Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced S. 4148 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grants and direct or guaranteed loans to increase domestic fertilizer production for United States farmers.
• Senator John Thune (R-SD) introduced the Fertilizer Transparency Act of 2026 to require USDA to collect and publish data on fertilizer prices from manufacturers on a weekly basis.
• Reps. Sean Casten (D-IL) and Mike Levin (D-CA) introduced the Energy Bills Relief Act to reinstate tax credits for energy improvements, incentives for utility companies to save consumers money, crackdowns on price gouging, requirements for data facilities to pay for their own energy costs, and to provide financial assistance for energy costs.
• Rep. Jeff Crank (R-CO) introduced the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act to prohibit the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture from banning the use of traditional lead ammunition or fishing tackle on federal lands and waters.
• Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-ID) introduced the System Integrity through Licensed Vault Expansion and Resilience (SILVER) Act, which requires a derivatives clearing organization to select at least two depositories in the Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones for approval.
• Rep. Dave Taylor (R-OH) introduced the SNAP Fraud Reporting Act, which would require states to submit data on SNAP fraud that occurred in the past five fiscal years to USDA and requires each state to provide SNAP fraud data going forward. 

Upcoming Hearings

Wednesday, March 25 

• 9:30 AM: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to examine the state of the bulk power system.
• 10:00 AM: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies will hold their Member Day hearing. 
• 10:15 AM: The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold a legislative hearing on H.R. 1555, H.R. 5639, H.R. 7831, H.R. 7872 and H.R. 7882.
• 11:00 AM: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies will hold an oversight hearing on the National Weather Service.
• 1:30 PM: The Joint Economic Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Rising Global Scam Economy: Modernizing Federal Approaches to Protect Americans from Foreign Fraudsters.”
• 2:00 PM: The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing titled “Unleashing America’s Mineral Potential: The Critical Mineral Commodity Supply Chain.” 

Thursday, March 26 

• 10:00 AM: The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a legislative hearing on H.R. 5694, H.R. 6893, H.R. 7250 and H.R. 7889.
• 10:00 AM: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies will hold their Member Day hearing.
• 10:00 AM: The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee will hold a hearing to examine the Export-Import Bank reauthorization. 

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.