East and Gulf Coast dockworkers have reached an agreement on a new six-year contract, ending a long-running labor dispute and avoiding a port strike set for next week.
The International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance had been at loggerheads as the union sought protections from job-shedding automation at U.S. ports. While the details of the deal have not been made public, both sides called the contract “a win-win agreement that creates ILA jobs.”
Trump pushes senators for single reconciliation bill
President Donald Trump met for two hours Wednesday night with Republican senators, with much of the discussion focusing on the strategy for moving tax cuts and spending priorities. Trump says publicly that he can live with either passing a single, all-encompassing reconciliation bill or taking a two-bill approach.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., was one of several senators who made the case for doing two bills. Hoeven said Trump was clear that his preference is for “one big, beautiful bill” but appeared open to the idea of pursuing both tracks simultaneously.
By the way: Trump also made clear in the meeting he’ll keep threatening Canada with new tariffs. “He's adamant that the tariffs are going to be part of the negotiation with Canada, and certainly ag is a part of that, because obviously they do put both tariff and non-tariff barriers on our exports,” Hoeven said.
GOP committee chair: Democrats using delay tactics on Trump nominees
The Senate is preparing to begin hearings next week on some of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks. But Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Mike Lee says Senate Democrats are attempting to delay confirmation of one of Trump’s least controversial selections, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, the pick for interior secretary.
After Lee, R-Utah, scheduled a hearing for next week, the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, said Republicans had breached protocol as the committee had not received the necessary documents from the nominee.
“[W]e won’t give in to delays,” Lee said in a statement Wednesday. He claimed Burgum had submitted paperwork last week and that the committee has the same information it had in 2009 when it scheduled hearings for President Barack Obama’s nominees.
Take note: Axios reported Tuesday that Senate Democrats claim vetting materials from Tulsi Gabbard are also missing. Trump has selected Gabbard to be director of national intelligence.
Today is a national day of mourning for Jimmy Carter, who was president from 1977 to 1981.The images below show his casket arriving at the Capitol and lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda.
Photos by Rebekah Alvey (top) and Philip Brasher
Most of milk supply covered by testing order, USDA says
USDA says 28 states representing close to 65% of the nation’s milk supply have now enrolled in a testing program to determine the extent of highly pathogenic avian influenza among dairy herds.
The 15 newly enrolled states are Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia. As of Jan. 8, the only detections of HPAI in the past 30 days occurred in California and Texas. Testing under the department’s National Milk Testing Strategy “has so far reaffirmed the absence” of HPAI in other states and not found any new ones, a USDA press release says.
The department also says it makes sense to develop a stockpile of poultry vaccines that match current strains of the virus now in circulation.
Senators press FDA on potential cut to state food safety programs
A group of Senate Democrats has sent a letter to FDA’s Human Foods Program pressing for answers about an expected drop in funding for state food safety inspection programs, which they say could have major consequences.
While the anticipated cuts haven’t taken effect yet, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture says states are already taking action. The group anticipates between 300 to 400 jobs will be lost at state programs, and there will be reduced capacity within rapid response teams, which are critical during foodborne illness outbreaks and product recalls.
NASDA and lawmakers have pointed out that it costs more for federal entities to carry out food safety inspections than state programs.
Meanwhile: A Government Accountability Office report found that FDA has not met its mandated targets for domestic and foreign facility inspections since 2018. The GAO’s analysis accounted for inspections conducted by the FDA and contracted state partners.
Read more about the report here.
UK delays plans to adopt GE tech over trade concerns
The United Kingdom is reportedly delaying an effort to adopt the latest gene editing technology over concerns it could hamper efforts to streamline ag trade with the European Union.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to secure a new sanitary and phytosanitary agreement to cut border checks on plant and animal products. But the Financial Times reports that EU officials have informally warned the UK government that a planned rollout of GE technology would not be compatible with a future deal.
The EU’s GE rules are among the most restrictive in the world, and GE plants have to go through a rigorous approval process. The UK passed legislation in 2023 to promote gene editing, but follow-up legislation is necessary to implement the measures.
USDA and USTR announce members for ag trade advisory panels
USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative have appointed 53 members to sit on seven agricultural trade advisory committees.
The seven panels give representatives from the ag industry an opportunity to provide input on trade policy. The appointees will sit on the committees until December 2028, USTR said in a statement Wednesday.
Among the 12 newly appointed or returning members to the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee are figures from the grain, dairy and meat sectors. USDA and USTR also unveiled appointments to six product-specific technical advisory committees related to animals and animal products; fruits and vegetables; grains, feeds, oils and planting seeds; processed foods; sweeteners and sweetener products; and tobacco, cotton, peanuts and hemp.
Final word
“Today, with falling commodity prices and tighter margins, protecting farmers’ access to critical crop protection tools like glyphosate is more important than ever—it’s essential to supporting their livelihoods, our food supply, and the competitiveness of American agriculture.” – Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, the new executive director of the Modern Ag Alliance, a group that advocates for protecting crop protection products. She previously had roles with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and Iowa Corn Growers Association.
Correction: An item in Wednesday's Daybreak mischaracterized the status of live cattle trade with Mexico following the detection of New World screwworm. USDA has agreed on new protocols with the Mexican government for handling live cattle imports from Mexico, but trade has not yet resumed.
