June 24, 2025

Contents

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

What We’re Watching

Congress 

Reconciliation 

The Senate Agriculture portion of the reconciliation text is being reviewed by the Parliamentarian, who oversees reconciliation packages. This is a key administrative step in moving the entire bill forward. Notably, the Parliamentarian determined that the cost-share provision, which would move the cost of SNAP on to states based on their error rates, was in violation of the rule. This may delay consideration of the bill since the cost-sharing provisions were intended to offset spending on the tax package plan, but Senate Republicans are working to update the provision to comply with reconciliation rules. The Parliamentarian also ruled that suspension of permanent price support authority, which is normally addressed in the Farm Bill, is ineligible for reconciliation.

Appropriations

The full House Appropriations Committee continued their markup of the FY2026 Ag-FDA Appropriations bill on Monday evening. This follows two other markups, which were held on Wednesday June 11 and Thursday June 12. The bill passed out of the Committee with a vote of 35-27, and a handful of amendments were agreed to on WIC, trade, infant formula, rural hospitals, and supply chain. The House Appropriations Committee has now approved three of the twelve appropriations bills for FY2026 which will head to the full House floor for a vote. The Senate is waiting until reconciliation is completed to begin its work on FY2026 appropriations.

Administration

Department of Labor Pauses Enforcement on Biden-Era H-2A Rule

The Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division announced last week that they will be pausing a rule issued under the Biden administration regarding H-2A labor protections for workers. The rule, which was released in June 2024, prohibited employers from confiscating travel or immigration documents, specifies situations where workers can terminate H-2A employees, and would be able to invite guests, including labor organizations, to employer-provided housing. The rule was paused due to three preliminary injunctions by federal courts, citing it caused “legal uncertainty, inconsistency, and operational challenges.”

USDA Moves Forward on SNAP Participant Database

USDA released a notice through the federal register that the agency will be moving forward on a new system of records for SNAP participants. The notice states that the purpose of the system will be to “validate the accuracy of eligibility determinations and strengthen SNAP and government program integrity.” USDA will also be using the database to identify any issues in the data related to duplicities, fraud, and identity theft. A public comment period will be open and comments can be submitted here.

Secretary Rollins Makes Forestry Announcements

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins shared a press release on plans for increasing readiness to address wildfires after the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) raised the preparedness level to a Level 3, with Level 5 being the highest. As of June 1, the Fire Service has hired 96% of its firefighter hiring target, with full staffing anticipated in mid-July. On Monday, Secretary Rollins also rescinded the Roadless Rule that prohibited road construction and timber harvesting on nearly 59 million acres of Forest Service land.

FDA Releases Public Comment for Food Chemical Evaluations

The FDA released their proposed method for ranking chemicals in the food supply and opened a public comment on prioritization for review. The method uses the Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to determine a score for each chemical depending on a set of criteria. Comments can be submitted through July 18, 2025.

Notable News

• USDA plans sterile fly facility in Texas to combat screwworm – MSN
• Trump orders Ice raids on farms and hotels after pausing them days earlier – The Guardian
• GOP’s food stamp plan is found to violate Senate rules. It’s the latest setback for Trump’s big bill – Associated Press
• Climate change threatens world food supply. How bad could it be in the U.S.? – USA Today
• Opinion: Supreme Court must prevent conflicting state standards for pesticide labels – AgriPulse

This Week’s Legislation

• Senator Rand Paul (R-FL) introduced a bill to amend the Agriculture Marketing Act of 1946 to modify the definition of hemp. 
• Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced a bill that requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator to prepare a report on reuse and refill systems. 
• Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced a bill to amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to authorize mandatory funding for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative. 
• Congressman Zachary Nunn (R-IA-3) introduced a bill to amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program providing for the establishment of Agriculture Cybersecurity Centers.  

Upcoming Hearings

Monday, June 23 

• 7:30 PM ET: House Appropriation Committee Markup of FY26 Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Bill: Part 3 

Tuesday, June 24 

• 10:00 AM ET: House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency Hearing “Locking in the DOGE Cuts: Ending Waste, Fraud, and Abuse for Good” 
• 10:00 AM ET: House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Health and Human Services Budget 
• 10:00 AM ET: House Small Business Hearing “Securing America’s Mineral Future: Unlocking the Economic Value Beneath Our Feet” 

Wednesday, June 25 

• 10:00 AM ET: House Budget Hearing “Reversing the Curse: Rooting Out Waste and Fraud and Restoring the Dignity of Work” 
• 10:00 AM ET: Senate Environment and Public Works Hearing to examine the nomination of Usha-Maria Turner, of Oklahoma, to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and David Wright, of South Carolina, to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the term of five years expiring June 30, 2030 

Thursday, June 26 

• 10:00 AM ET: House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands Oversight Hearing “Fix Our Forests: Advancing Innovative Technologies to Improve Forest Management and Prevent Wildfires.” 
• 10:00 AM ET: House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit Hearing “A Review of the U.S. Grain Standards Act” 

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.