July 30, 2024

Contents

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

The TAG Weekly Food and Agriculture Update will be on pause for the congressional August recess. We will resume the newsletter on Tuesday, September 10.

What We’re Watching

Congress 

Ending this work period a week early, the House officially adjourned for August recess on July 25. The Senate will be in session this week (week of 7/29), and then will leave for recess. Both chambers will be back in session on September 9. Must pass legislative items such as appropriations bills, the farm bill, and NDAA will all be pushed to September.  

Appropriations

Last week, the House was poised to consider up to four FY25 appropriations bills, but ultimately was only able to pass one. Members debated and voted on amendments for the Interior-Environment bill before passing it by a vote of 210-205. Amendments added include a messaging amendment that would prohibit EPA from promulgating any new rules that would affect over 50% of American farmland without explicit congressional approval; prohibiting funding for the rule titled “Control of Air Pollution From New Motor Vehicles: Heavy- Duty Engine and Vehicle Standards,” and prohibiting the EPA from establishing or operating the Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The White House has already threatened to veto the Interior-Environment bill; however, the path forward is unclear as it will have to be negotiated in the Senate.

Amendments on the House Energy and Water bill were also debated and voted on, but the floor vote on the bill has been punted until September. The House Agriculture-FDA bill received testimony in a Rules Committee hearing last week but the rule was not voted on, therefore delaying a full floor vote until after the August recess. The bill became controversial due to last minute poison pill riders, similar to those that stalled progress last year.

The Senate Appropriations Committee continued marking up FY2025 appropriations bills in a largely bipartisan manner moving the Interior-Environment, Commerce-Justice-Science, State and Foreign Operations, and Transportation-Housing bills through the full Committee. Four more bills are scheduled to move later this week, while Homeland Security has dropped off the docket.

Farm Bill

Discussions on the farm bill remain stagnant, even while House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson (R-PA) called on Senate Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) to release bill text and criticized the Senate for a lack of progress. Chairwoman Stabenow continues to assert that she will not be releasing text and scheduling a markup until there is bipartisan agreement. The Senate Agriculture Committee Democrats also released a document comparing the Senate Democrats’ proposal with the bill passed by the House GOP, stating that “under the current House proposal, 50% of this investment would flow to 2% of more than 2 million farms in the country.”

Financial Conditions in Farm Country Hearing

The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing last week titled “Financial Conditions in Farm Country,” where a variety of topics were discussed. Members brought up the farm safety net and investments made by the House Farm Bill into farm programs through increased reference prices and crop insurance. Five witnesses, representing a number of different grower groups and agriculture credit lending institutions, testified over the farm crisis facing producers with rising costs and lowered market prices. Witnesses also highlighted the importance of passing a farm bill this year, the growing pressures of limited access to credit that farmers are facing, and how improvements such as lowered interest rates and how further development of the farm safety net can help improve current conditions. 

Presidential Elections

In a stunning turn of events, President Joe Biden announced that he will no longer be running for re-election in November, endorsing his Vice President, Kamala Harris, instead. President Biden addressed the country on Wednesday night reiterating his decision to pass the torch to the next generation. In the following days since the announcement, Vice President Harris has received enough endorsements from the Democratic conference to receive the nomination. It is unclear who she will choose as her running mate, but some of the top potential candidates include Governors Andy Beshear (KY) , Josh Shapiro (PA) and Senator Mark Kelly (AZ). The Democratic National Convention begins on August 19.  

Administration

USDA Announces Rural Energy for America Grant Funding

Secretary Vilsack announced that USDA will be working with farmers and small businesses through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and the Rural Energy for America Technical Assistance Grant Program. The agency is investing $163 million in loans, grants, and technical assistance for 338 projects across 39 states. USDA still continues to accept applications for REAP and has set aside a portion of the program funds to support underutilized renewable energy technologies, like wind and geothermal power.

The Biden Administration Releases Strategy on Single Use Plastics

President Biden announced the rollout of the first strategy to target plastic pollution – Mobilizing Federal Action on Plastic Pollution: Progress, Principles, and Priorities. This strategy includes a goal of phasing out federal procurement of single-use plastics from food service operations, events, and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035. The report outlines a few key areas for action: Assessing and Reducing Pollution from Plastic Production; Innovating Materials and Product Design; Decreasing  Plastic Waste Generation; Improving Environmentally Sound Waste Management; and Informing and Conducting Capture and Removal of Plastic Pollution. The full announcement can be found here.

USDA Announces New Standards on Salmonella in Poultry

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will be declaring salmonella as an adulterant in raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, ground chicken, and ground turkey products when present above certain levels. The proposed rule, Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products, would increase FSIS’s ability to control contaminated poultry products.

FDA Creates Webpage on Microplastics

The FDA has created a new webpage on microplastics and nanoplastics in foods to help provide information on what data is available and information on how the FDA is monitoring microplastics and nanoplastics in foods. The page also has links to health effects, scientific information, and regulatory information, and says that “current scientific evidence does not demonstrate that the levels of microplastics or nanoplastics detected in foods pose a risk to human health,” and states “there are no standardized methods for how to detect, quantify, or characterize microplastics and nanoplastics, many of the scientific studies have used methods of variable, questionable, and/or limited accuracy and specificity.” 

NLRB Dismisses Joint-Employer Pending Appeal

Last week, the National Labor Relations Board dismissed a pending appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth circuit, which would have reversed a decision by the Eastern District of Texas to vacate the joint-employer final rule. While this voluntary dismissal confirms that the 2023 final rule will not proceed at this time, it remains is unclear the impact it will have on the pending cases in the D.C. Circuit. 

Interior and USDA Sign Agreement on Wildfire Action

The Department of the Interior and USDA Forest Service have signed an agreement with the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to use the NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite — R series (GOES-R) data to rapidly detect and report wildfire starts. Both agencies will allocate a total of $20 million to invest in improvements of speed and accuracy around wildfire detection. 

Notable News

• Farmers, Bankers Press House Ag For New Farm Bill While Warning Of Rural Economic Downturn – Agri-Pulse  
• The World Falls Behind Goal to End Hunger – WSJ
• White House Looks to Safeguard Groundwater Supplies as Aquifers Decline Nationwide – Inside Climate News 
• US Solar Production Soars By 25 Percent In Just One Year – ARS Technica
• Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars Spent On Delivering Internet Service Yet Large Gaps Remain – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

This Week’s Legislation

• Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Federal Food Administration Act, which would establish the Federal Food Administration within the FDA. This would act as a single agency responsible for taking over food responsibilities by incorporating the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), Office of Food Policy and Response (OFPR), and the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA).
• Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08) reintroduced a bill titled Safeguarding America’s Future and Environment Act, which would create and implement a climate change strategy to protect wildlife and natural resources. 

Upcoming Hearings

Tuesday, July 30 

• 10:00 AM: The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade, and Exports will hold a hearing on “Enabling Rural Businesses to Grow at Home While Competing Abroad”

Wednesday, July 31 

• 10:00 AM: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a Business Meeting on The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 

Thursday, August 1

• 9:30 AM: Senate Committee on Appropriations will hold a markup on “Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act; Department of Defense Appropriations Act; Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act; Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act; and Financial Services and General Government Appropriations 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 Snell, Heath Brandt, or Tracy Boyle 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.