The Department of Water Resources has again issued a modest 5% increase to State Water Project allocations.
After an “incredibly dry” January, the deliveries stand at just 20% of contracted amounts, despite reservoirs standing at near or above historical averages. The state’s two largest reservoirs, Shasta and Oroville, are 119% and 127% of average, respectively.
Forecasts hint at wetter weather returning in early February. Yet DWR Director Karla Nemeth cautioned “it will take many more storms to make up the deficit and further boost water supply deliveries.”
DWR will host its second snowpack survey of the season on Friday and discuss the implications with reporters.
Trump did not send in the military to turn on water
President Donald Trump on Monday claimed in a Truth Social post the military entered California and “turned on the water” so that it would flow “abundantly from the Pacific Northwest.”
The California Natural Resources Agency was quick to fact check the comment. The military did not enter California. Authorities, however, did restart federal water pumps after a three-day maintenance shutdown. The agency noted that supplies in Southern California “remain plentiful.”
Vilsack to lead World Food Prize Foundation
Former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has been named CEO of the World Food Prize Foundation to continue its legacy of promoting global food security and agricultural sustainability in line with the vision of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug.
Vilsack, who led USDA for 12 of the last 16 years, will leverage his diplomatic experience to expand the foundation’s global network while advancing the organization’s youth institute programming.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
OMB directive pausing federal funding prompts confusion
A federal judge has paused a directive from President Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget to suspend grant and loan payments, minutes before the funding pause was scheduled to go into effect Tuesday evening.
The administrative stay of the action will expire at 5 p.m. Monday unless U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan grants a temporary restraining order, NBC News reported. The plaintiffs include Democracy Forward, the American Public Health Association and the National Council of Nonprofits. The judge scheduled a hearing for Monday morning.
Take note: California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined 22 other states to file a separate lawsuit over the funding freeze.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
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RFK Jr. to make his case before Senate Finance today
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will have his first public appearance before the Senate today to discuss his nomination as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy will appear before the Senate Finance Committee to take questions from lawmakers. He’s also slated for a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday.
The nominee has met with senators on Capitol Hill in recent weeks to make his case. Lawmakers have sought clarity on some of Kennedy’s controversial positions and remarks on vaccines, abortion, food and agriculture.
Why it matters: As HHS secretary, Kennedy would have oversight over multiple agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates 80% of the food supply. Kennedy and others in the Make America Healthy Again movement have been critical of pesticides, processed foods, pork production and seed oils, sparking concern from food and farm groups.
Still, Senate Republicans previously told Agri-Pulse they believe Kennedy has won over enough members to be confirmed.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., who sits on the Senate Finance and Agriculture committees, said he expects Kennedy to face questions on his stances on hunger and nutrition programs like SNAP. Kennedy and others in the MAHA movement have supported efforts to restrict SNAP purchases for sodas and other sweetened beverages.
Lutnick to emphasize personal story, need for strong U.S. businesses in hearing
Trump’s pick to lead the Commerce Department, Howard Lutnick, will also appear before senators today at a confirmation hearing in the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
According to a copy of his opening statement seen by Agri-Pulse, the Cantor Fitzgerald CEO will describe the challenge of losing both parents before his 19th birthday. He will also cover his “greatest business achievement”: rebuilding the company after 658 employees were killed on 9/11, including his brother.
“We need healthy businesses — small, medium and large — to hire our great American workers to drive our economy,” Lutnick will say.
Remember: Trump said Lutnick would lead his trade agenda when he announced his pick for commerce secretary back in November. Accordingly, expect tariffs to feature prominently in the back-and-forth with senators. Lutnick has previously called tariffs a “bargaining chip” to negotiate “more fair” trade arrangements.
Foreign aid suspension leaves food aid in doubt
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from suspending federal assistance programs, but another directive also has sparked confusion among farm groups — the suspension of foreign aid for 90 days.
It was still unclear Tuesday afternoon whether that suspension applied to food aid. But Reuters reported Tuesday night that Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a waiver for humanitarian assistance.
Trump’s first proposed budget in 2017 determined to kill both the Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole food aid programs and would have shifted the money to the U.S. Agency for International Development’s International Disaster Assistance account. Congress rejected the proposals.
Keep in mind: The first Trump administration aimed to kill the Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole programs, but the proposals went nowhere in Congress.
Final word:
"As far as the egg shortage, what's also contributing to that is that the Biden administration and the Department of Agriculture directed the mass killing of more than 100 million chickens, which has led to a lack of .... egg supply, which is leading to the shortage." — Karoline Leavitt, White House spokesperson, referring to chickens that were depopulated because of highly pathogenic avian influenza infections.
Speaking at a White House press conference Tuesday, she went on to say, “This is an example of why it's so incredibly important that the Senate moves swiftly to confirm all of President Trump's nominees, including his nominee for the United States Department of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, who is already speaking with Kevin Hassett, who's leading the economic team here at the White House, on how we can address the egg shortage in this country."