September 30, 2025

Contents

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

What We’re Watching

Congress 

Appropriations 

This is the final day for House and Senate leadership to come to an agreement on a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. If a CR is not passed, the government will shut down on October 1. The White House held a meeting with Republican and Democrat leadership on Monday (9/29), which seemingly did not move the needle closer to a compromise. For background, the House passed a CR on September 19, 2025 by a vote of 217-212 with subsequent Senate votes on the House passed CR and a Senate Democratic alternative each failing. While meetings between the White House and Congressional leaders did not produce a deal to avert a government shutdown, the expectation is the Senate will once again hold votes on the House passed CR and a Democratic alternative. The Senate votes are expected to be late September 30 with the outcome unclear. In the meantime, some agencies have posted contingency plans with several still outstanding, including USDA.   

Last week, a memo was picked up by Politico indicating the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) would pursue mass firings at agencies if Congress fails to act. Federal agencies, including USDA, have not yet come up with contingency plans in the event of a shutdown, therefore it is unclear which employees will be retained as “essential” and who could be subject to layoffs. In the event of a shut down, programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and technical assistance efforts to states from USDA could be interrupted. 

Farm Aid Letter 

Senate Agriculture Committee Republicans are looking to meet with the President to discuss relief for farmers due to uncertainty on trade and higher input costs. It has been reported that Senators are hoping to meet in the coming weeks, but there has not been a date confirmed yet. Soy, corn, and other commodity groups have felt the impacts of global tariffs, particularly on China, and will need some solution in absence of a farm bill or other plans from the administration to mitigate market impacts. 

Household Food Security Survey Letter 

House Agriculture Committee Democrats co-signed a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins raising concerns with the cancellation of the Household Food Security Reports, which measure food insecurity in America. The letter states that without this survey, USDA will not have data to measure the impact of SNAP cuts within HR 1 and claims that the reason for discontinuing the survey was “transparently insufficient and misleading.” The letter also asks a series of questions due by October 6, 2025.  

Administration

USDA Changes Stocking Requirements for SNAP 

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced that it will be proposing changes to the stocking requirements for retailers that participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Currently, retailers are required to stock three varieties of food in the dairy, protein, grain, fruits, and vegetables categories. The proposed rule would increase variety requirements to seven per category and codify food categories that count as ‘accessory foods.’ According to the proposed rule, accessory foods are not to be considered as a staple food. USDA is seeking comments on the proposed rule through November 24, 2025.  

USDA Announces Plans for Improved Farm Economy   

Secretary Brooke Rollins unveiled a plan to support American farmers, emphasizing relief payments, cost reductions, trade expansion, biofuels growth, and farmland protections. Key measures include $15.5B in aid through USDA programs, reforms to lower input and labor costs, seven new trade deals, historic biofuel mandates, and tighter controls on foreign land ownership. Rollins framed the agenda as a patriotic push to restore farm profitability and national security, with further announcements expected on antitrust enforcement, beef sector revitalization, and biofuel incentives. A number of these measures are currently underway or have received Congressional approval and are now being implemented by USDA. 

USDA Announcement on Trade 3 Point Plan 

USDA Secretary Rollins and Under Secretary of Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg introduced a three-part strategy to strengthen U.S. agricultural exports. The plan includes launching the America First Trade Promotion Program with $285 million in funding, initiating Trade Reciprocity for U.S. Manufacturers and Producers (T.R.U.M.P.) Missions to expand market access and revamp the GSM-102 export credit guarantee program. The announcement was made during the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s (NASDA) annual meeting. Lindberg emphasized that these efforts aim to restore U.S. agriculture to its “golden age” and re-establish the country as the world’s breadbasket. Read more here.   

FDA Announces New Foodborne Illness Surveillance Plan 

In an effort to increase transparency around foodborne illness, the FDA has rolled out two new resources for sharing information – the Executive Incident Summary (EIS) Abstracts for Closed Foodborne Illness Investigations and Foodborne Outbreak Overview of Data (FOOD) Reports. The EIS abstracts will be written following a foodborne illness investigation to identify the traceback, laboratory, and epidemiological information collected during the investigation. The FOOD report will summarize data and findings from outbreak investigations related to a specific pathogen-commodity pair linked to outbreaks. There are already FOOD reports released on Hepatitis A and Salmonella outbreaks.   

Notable News

• ‘Tidal wave of problems’: With harvest here, Trump’s trade war pushes some US farmers to the brink – CNN 
• SNAP Panel Recommends Ingredients List to Guide Drink Restrictions – State Affairs 
• New World Screwworm Parasite Detected in Northern Mexico Near U.S. Border – Purdue Exponent 
• USDA plans trade mission to Taiwan to boost agriculture exports – UPI 
• Why One of the Most Popular Vegetables in the U.S. is now Being Farmed Indoors – Eating Well 

This Week’s Legislation

• Representatives Carbajal (D-CA) and Kelly (R-MS) introduced the Community College Agriculture Advancement Act, which would fund community college workforce training, education, and research programs in agriculture. 
• Representatives Johnson (R-SD) and Budzinski (D-IL) introduced the Balanced Agricultural Support and Efficiency (BASE) Act to require the United States Department of Agriculture to update base acres for all farms as soon as is practicable. 

Upcoming Hearings

Check back for hearing updates next week. 

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.