June 16, 2026

Contents

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

What We’re Watching

Congress 

After weeks of back and forth, Congress has passed a second reconciliation bill with $70 billion to fund ICE and Border Patrol. They will now continue their efforts to fully reauthorize FISA Section 702, which will continue to divert attention away from other pending priorities, like farm bill and appropriations. The House is in recess this week, while the Senate is in session.

House Agriculture Committee Discusses USMCA Importance

The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on the need to renew USMCA, featuring witnesses who represented the dairy, meat, produce, commodities, and small business industries. Overall, there was bipartisan support for renewal and an understanding of the importance of duty-free trade between the US, Canada, and Mexico, supporting integrated supply chains, and giving farmers and processors market certainty. Several Members and witnesses warned that if Canada or Mexico turn to competitors such as Brazil, China, the EU, or New Zealand, U.S. producers may not easily regain those markets.

House Agriculture Chair Circulates H-2A Legislation

Rep. GT Thompson (R-PA), who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, is circulating for support a bill that includes changes to the H-2A program after hearing widespread concerns about agricultural labor from a myriad of farm stakeholder groups. The bill, titled the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, would incorporate policy recommendations provided by the Agriculture Labor Working Group, which was formed among bipartisan Members of the House Committee on Agriculture in the 118th Congress. The bill removes the seasonality requirement, modifies what is considered “agriculture labor or services,” codifies recent reforms by the Trump Administration to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) methodology, and includes provisions to streamline the H-2A process into an online platform. The bill text can be found here, a section-by-section can be found here, and a summary can be found here.

Senators Release Statement on SNAP Cost-Share

Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Angus King (I-ME), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) released a statement criticizing the SNAP cost-share policy from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The statement highlights the Senators’ previous experience as Governors and calls on their colleagues to delay the cost-share by two years to ensure states have time to prepare and make budget changes. This continues to be a main point of negotiation between Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman (R-AR) and Committee Democrats ahead of a Senate farm bill release.

USDA Secretary Testifies in the Senate

The Senate Agriculture Committee held an oversight hearing with Secretary Brooke Rollins last week. The hearing focused heavily on financial pressures facing farmers and ranchers, such as high input costs, fertilizer affordability, tariffs, and disaster assistance. Members also discussed the need to advance a bipartisan farm bill. Members on both sides also raised USDA staffing and reorganization, but Democrats particularly focusing on their concerns related to nutrition program changes.   

Administration

President Trump Announces Deal with Iran to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

The White House announced on Monday that a preliminary deal with Iran has been reached. The agreement is not yet public but is reported to include a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, lifts the US Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports, and extends the ceasefire. The deal is anticipated to be signed on Friday in Switzerland and will go into effect to begin shipping through the Strait of Hormuz once military infrastructure is removed. The Iran-US conflict has been ongoing since the end of February and has directly contributed to bottlenecks of fertilizer inputs and the rise in diesel fuel.

New World Screwworm Case Numbers Increase

Earlier this month, USDA announced a confirmed case of the New World Screwworm (NWS) in southern Texas, which has not been seen in the United States since the mid-1960s. On Monday June 8, APHIS announced that additional cases were detected in a dog in Lea County, New Mexico, a goat in Gillespie County, Texas, and a calf in La Salle County, Texas. Since then, the case number has risen to 12, and USDA has maintained the closure of the US-Mexico border for all livestock trade. USDA has launched screwworm.gov to provide details on NWS contamination numbers and information on how the agency is planning to address the spread.

Great American State Fair Schedule Released 

The White House will be launching a series of food and agriculture focused events in Washington, DC, running from June 25 through July 10 to highlight state fairs across the country. The Great American State Fair, which is anticipated to convene farmers from across the country, will launch on June 25. Events on June 29 and July 6 will be “MAHA Monday” themed, and there is speculation that Secretary Kennedy could make additional policy announcements during these events. The full schedule can be found here. 

Updated GREET Model Released, Additional 45Z Clarity Expected

The Department of Energy published an updated 45ZCF-GREET model on Friday, June 12, which implements changes made through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and modifies provisions around Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) pathways and Renewable Diesel and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Among other changes, the update eliminates indirect land use change (ILUC) from the carbon intensity (CI) score and prevents feedstocks outside the USMCA ring to qualify for the 45Z tax credit. Next, the Department of Treasury and the IRS are expected to release a final rule on the 45Z tax credit, and USDA will release 45Z feedstock guidance to address specifics around production practices. More details can be found here.

USDA Releases Directive on Grazing

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a new directive to Forest Service employees to facilitate implementation of the Advancing Grazing on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Lands Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the USDA-Department of the Interior Grazing Action Plan. These actions build directly on the October 2025 USDA Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry and the March 31, 2026, MOU with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and aim to strengthen ranching, restore multiple-use management on federal lands, and combat regulatory burdens on producers.

USDA Announces John Rich as Special Envoy

John Rich has been appointed as the Special Envoy for American Landowners, focusing on advocating for landowners who face pressure to sell land for solar and wind development. The official release states that he will “engage directly with landowners across the country and work to address challenges posed by government overreach, pressure campaigns, and outside interests that threaten private property rights.”

USDA Opens Nominations for FSA County Committees

Nominations are now open for candidates to serve on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees, which are responsible for decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. Eligible candidates must participate or cooperate through a USDA program and reside in the Local Administrative Area (LAA) that is holding an election for a new candidate. The committees are composed of 3 to 11 members that serve three-year terms. All nomination forms must be postmarked or received by August 3, 2026.

NIFA Rolls Out Agricultural Research Infrastructure Investment

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon hosted a roundtable discussion where they announced the opening of the Research Facilities Act Program funding opportunity, totaling $125 million for FY 2026. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will administer the funding in 4 tranches – Level I, Planning Grants; Level II, Small Facility Upgrades; Level III, Mid-Scale Construction/ Expansion; Level IV, Large-Scale Research Complex. The deadline for applications is July 17, 2026.

Notable News

• Canada, Several U.S. States Restrict Livestock Imports from Texas as Screwworm Cases Rise – RFD - RFD-TV
• Marshall backs away from California Prop 12 fight – National Hog Farmer
• Higher energy costs drive producer price surge – Axios
• Ag industry wants to see improvements made to USMCA to support U.S. agriculture – Brownfield Ag News
• USDA employees facing relocation weigh whether to stay or go. Some are eligible for incentives either way | Federal News Network - Federal News Network
• US, India to tackle trade at G7 but deal not imminent, US officials say – Reuters
• The world wants more high-protein products, but there’s not enough whey to go around – AP

This Week’s Legislation

• Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) reintroduced the “Community College Agriculture Advancement Act“ to fund workforce training and education programs in the agricultural industry at community and technical colleges.
• Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced the “Fencing Eligibility for New Conservation Equipment (FENCE) Act“ to authorize the USDA to include virtual fencing as another option for farmers and ranchers under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP).
• Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the “SNAP Fraud Reporting Act“ to mandate States to provide data on fraud in the supplemental nutrition assistance program.
• Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08) reintroduced the “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Environmental Impacts Act of 2026“ to require AI data centers to report on their environmental and energy-related impacts.
• Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) and Reps. Andrew Garbarino (NY-02) and Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) reintroduced the “Natural Climate Solutions Research and Extension Act“ to include natural climate solutions as a high-priority research and extension initiative for the USDA.
• Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) introduced the “Local Data for Better Conservation Act“ to amend the Endangered Species Act with respect to the listing of threatened and endangered species.
• Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the “Renewable Energy Choice Act“ to prohibit States and local governments from prohibiting or limiting the connection, reconnection, modification, installation, transportation, distribution, or expansion of a renewable energy service based on the type of source of energy to be delivered.

Upcoming Hearings

Tuesday, June 16

• 2:00 PM: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing to examine the future of K-12 education in the age of artificial intelligence.

Wednesday June 17

• 9:30 AM: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing “to examine the state of the U.S. Territories.”

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.