Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set today for the second of his two confirmation hearings. This time he’ll be before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Its jurisdiction includes the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates 80% of the food supply. 

The committee’s chaired by Bill Cassidy, R-La., a gastroenterologist and a potential holdout on Kennedy’s nomination who’s being watched closely. During Wednesday’s hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Cassidy grilled RFK about the Medicare program.

Democrats went after Kennedy repeatedly over his long history of questioning vaccine safety.

As for food and ag issues: Kennedy committed to working with Ag Secretary-nominee Brooke Rollins to serve and support farmers. Kennedy said he wanted to work with Rollins to help farmers transition to regenerative agricultural techniques, including the use of less chemical-intensive practices that he said are destroying the soil and making people sick.

Kennedy re-upped concerns about the amount of ultraprocessed foods and sugary beverages in federal nutrition programs like SNAP and school meals. These are under USDA’s jurisdiction, but Kennedy suggested he could have some input through nutrition research and consumer awareness.

“I don't want to take food away from anybody. If you like … a McDonald's cheeseburger or a Diet Coke — which my boss loves — you should be able to get them,” Kennedy said. “But you should know what the impacts are on your family and on your health.”

By the way: Kennedy has won over Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., who isn’t on the Finance Committee. Hoeven, who chairs the appropriations subcommittee that funds USDA and FDA, said he met with Kennedy on Tuesday and talked through “the realities” of farming and ranching. They also discussed Kennedy’s approach to the upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“He has committed to follow the agenda that President Trump puts forward,” Hoeven said. “Obviously we support President Trump’s agenda, and as long as RFK is willing to follow the president’s agenda, then I think it works.” 

Continued confusion over Trump spending freeze

Confusion continued for a second day Wednesday over President Donald Trump’s attempt to freeze federal grants and loans. 

The Office of Management and Budget rescinded a memo from Monday that directed the pause in funding and a review of federal programs. But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded with a post on X that denied OMB was ending the funding freeze.

Later, a federal judge in Rhode Island asked 23 state attorneys general to prepare an order that would prevent the Trump administration from cutting off funding to states and organizations that rely on it, the Providence Journal reported. A Justice Department lawyer tried to argue to the judge that rescinding the memo made the lawsuit moot. 

Back in D.C. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was among those left confused by the White House signals. “I thought the rescission order was very clear. It was one sentence, right. That was pretty clear. So, what I'm not clear on is the following comment that came from the White House spokesperson.”

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By the way: The Organic Trade Association issued a statement Wednesday saying the government had a duty to provide farms with funding that was previously obligated. “Many farms and businesses have already spent dollars and are awaiting reimbursement from these government programs,” the statement said. An OMB Q&A from Tuesday insisted that direct payments to farmers and small businesses would not be affected

Zeldin confirmed to lead EPA 

The Senate confirmed Lee Zeldin as EPA administrator in a 56-42 vote Wednesday.

Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Mark Kelly of Arizona voted with Republicans in favor of the confirmation. Two Democrats did not vote. 

Zeldin formerly served as a congressman from New York. During that time he was a critic of the Renewable Fuel Standard, however, during his confirmation hearing he appeared open to working with senators on biofuel issues.

DOGE targets SNAP

Iowa Republicans Rep. Randy Feenstra and Senate Department of Government Efficiency Caucus Chair Sen. Joni Ernst are targeting federal savings in the SNAP program by directing states to re-collect overpayments.

The Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act introduced Wednesday would amend the SNAP payment error rate calculation by changing the tolerance level from $54 to $0.

Currently, USDA only counts overpayments or underpayments that are more than $54 as an error.

USDA data show an 11.68% SNAP program error rate in fiscal year 2023 totaling $10 billion in overpayments.

By the way: SNAP is one of the programs House Republicans are targeting for cuts this year. House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., indicated this week he wants to look at ways to save money by cracking down on errors

Cargill to close Arkansas turkey plant

Meat processor Cargill is preparing to close a turkey processing plant in Springdale, Arkansas, shifting some of its production to plants in Missouri and Virginia.

Cargill confirmed its plans to close the plant on Aug. 1 in a statement to Agri-Pulse. It said the closure would impact approximately 1,100 people. 

The company says it will “honor contractual obligations” to growers and continue turkey processing operations at its other plants.