Congressional leaders were nailing down the final details of a stopgap spending bill Monday night that was expected to include $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers, as well as a one-year farm bill extension, sources tell Agri-Pulse.
Sources say congressional leaders also agreed to include provisions allowing for year-around use of E15.Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., conceded Monday that she had failed to get congressional leaders to bring Inflation Reduction Act funding into the farm bill baseline, as part of the farm bill extension.
“Unfortunately, the speaker is not supporting that,” Stabenow told reporters, referring to the opposition from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
The IRA money includes $14 billion in unspent funds for four conservation programs. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told Agri-Pulse the issue should be left to discussions of a new farm bill.
Craig wins steering nod for House Ag ranking member
Minnesota is in position to have new clout on both the House and Senate Agriculture committees. The House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee on Monday recommended Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig to become ranking member of House Ag over incumbent David Scott of Georgia and California Rep. Jim Costa. The full Democratic caucus is to consider Craig’s selection today.
“I’m ready to help us win back rural Americans, and with them, a strong Democratic Majority,” Craig said in a statement after the steering committee vote.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is set to become the ranking member of the Senate Ag Committee in 2025, replacing Stabenow.
Take note: Craig told reporters that part of her pitch was that Democrats needed more committee leaders from the middle of the country. "If we want to represent this whole country, then we need ranking members and leaders in the Democratic party who are from the whole country," Craig said.
By the way: Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., was elected chair of the House Freedom Caucus on Monday night. Harris also chairs the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.
Labor Department rolls out new farmworker wage amounts
Many farmers are going to see significantly higher costs for H-2A workers in 2025. The average minimum wage for H-2A workers is rising by an average of 4.47% in 2025 under new rates calculated by the Labor Department.
The increases and wage rates vary widely by state and region. California, which brings in the third-largest number of H-2A workers, will see rates increase by just over 1%, while Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama will get a 10% increase, according to an analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Take note: A federal judge this fall issued an injunction in ongoing litigation that bars the Labor Department from implementing the new rates in 17 states until Dec. 30. The rates took effect in other states on Monday.
Ethanol groups: Keep RFS exemptions at D.C. Circuit
Ethanol industry groups have filed their opening brief with the Supreme Court in a case involving small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The case seeks to overturn a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision on the proper venue for deciding EPA denials of SRE petitions.
The Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy say in their brief that SRE policy has national implications, and therefore should only be adjudicated in the D.C. Circuit.
“Oil industry interests should not be allowed to upend Congress’s carefully crafted judicial review process, which ensures national uniformity for the RFS program and avoids inconsistent legal precedents, forum shopping, and market uncertainty for biofuels,” the groups say in a statement.
Republican voters support targeted tariff approach
New polling finds Republican voters are leery of sweeping tariffs that could raise household costs but would support targeted tariffs to achieve specific policy goals.
Morning Consult and the Consumer Brands Association polled more than 2,000 registered Republican voters across the U.S. The findings, shared with Agri-Pulse, show 90% of Republican voters would reject broad-based tariffs that raise living costs. More than 80%, however, say they would support strategic tariffs imposed to protect U.S. manufacturing or target industries that threaten national security.
A majority of those polled supported excluding products that cannot be made in the U.S. from any tariff hikes. Similar majorities also welcomed exempting products from U.S. allies, and those available in the U.S. but in only limited quantities.
Canada’s finance minister resigns, citing tensions over Trump response
Canada’s finance minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet on Monday, citing a disagreement over the country’s response to President-elect Donald Trump’s trade agenda.
In a letter to Trudeau posted to X, Freeland said the pair had been “at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” for several weeks and that Trudeau had indicated he no longer wanted Freeland to serve as finance minister.
Last month, Trump threatened Canada and Mexico with a 25% tariff unless they took steps to stem the flow of undocumented migrants and illicit drugs across the border.
“We need to take that threat extremely seriously,” Freeland told Trudeau in her resignation letter, urging the Canadian government to push “back against ‘America First’ economic nationalism” and to keep “our fiscal powder dry” to prepare for “a coming tariff war.”
Final word
“It’s a tough job being a Democrat in agriculture, but she can handle it." – Former House Ag Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., on Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., being selected by the Democratic steering committee to be the Ag panel’s ranking member.
