It took a false start, but House Republicans have gotten their budget plan through the chamber.
The GOP leadership initially pulled the legislation Wednesday evening, sending lawmakers heading for the exits. But a few minutes later, those same lawmakers were recalled to vote on the resolution, which was approved 217-215.
The adoption of the resolution sets up negotiations with the Senate GOP, which is taking a very different path to enacting President Trump’s spending and tax priorities. The House resolution calls for at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts and up to $4.5 trillion in tax cuts The Senate wants to address tax cuts later in the year.
Senate Ag Democrats demand details on USDA firings
Democrats on the Senate Agriculture Committee are demanding that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins provide details on the number of employees terminated at USDA. The senators want a breakdown by Friday of the terminated employees by state, agency and job position and veteran status.
In their letter to Rollins, the Democrats also want details on the number of employees terminated or placed on leave at the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, as well as a breakdown of veterinarians terminated at the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The senators also are asking for details on the Agricultural Research Service and Farm Service Agency.
Take note: The senators also are asking about USDA’s plans to hire new workers or terminate additional employees. Those answers are due by March 7.
“These widespread layoffs jeopardize USDA’s ability to respond to the ongoing avian flu outbreak, process farm loans, disaster relief and other assistance for farmers, and distribute grants and loans for infrastructure and services that rural Americans rely on,” the letter says.
For more on the USDA firings, don’t miss our weekly Agri-Pulse newsletter.
Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn, speaking at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Winter Policy Conference.
Ag commissioners debate using vaccines to fight bird flu
State ag leaders are considering urging USDA to use “science-based vaccination use strategies” to combat bird flu in poultry and dairy cattle. But they’re also concerned about the trade implications.
Language approved by the Animal Agriculture Committee at the NASDA Winter Policy Conference Tuesday supports making the bird flu vaccine available for poultry, dairy cattle and other livestock industries in states affected by the outbreak. The full NASDA delegation will vote on the policy today.
The Trump administration has said it wants to make vaccination a central part of its strategy to control the bird flu outbreak. Animal ag groups are split on the issue over its potential to introduce new trade barriers for exports.
Ohio Director of Agriculture Brian Baldridge said during the discussion that “we do promote the opt out that, obviously, our boiler industry is concerned about.”
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig spoke in favor of a strategy that would control the disease while minimizing negative trade impacts.
Take note: NASDA CEO Ted McKinney told reporters the relationship between APHIS and state departments of agriculture is “so strong that APHIS has a room of their own where they’re doing one-on-one meetings with the states” during the conference.
The relationship between APHIS and state ag department leaders “is very tight, very strong, and that’s the way it should be,” McKinney added.
Looking ahead: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins will address the NASDA group this morning in one of her first public speeches. In a post on X, she teased “more coming mid-week” on bird flu response.
Elanco partners with Medgene to market bird flu vaccine for cattle
Elanco Animal Health has signed an agreement with South Dakota biotech firm Medgene to commercialize its bird flu vaccine in cattle.
An Elanco press release says the Medgene vaccine is in the final stages of review for a conditional license and has met USDA’s platform technology guidelines.
“As egg prices soar and milk production wanes in infected dairies, the need for new solutions to curb disease spread is evident," Jeff Simmons, Elanco’s president and CEO said in a statement.
Medgene’s vaccine technology had previously received USDA approval, allowing the company to push ahead with a H5N1 vaccine.
FDA delays ‘healthy’ definition rule effective date
FDA has postponed the start date for its “healthy” definition final rule by two months.
The long-awaited “healthy” definition final rule was issued in December with an effective date of Feb. 25. Now that date has been pushed to April 28 in line with the Trump administration’s regulatory freeze. The Jan. 20 memo paused rules published but not in effect until the new administration can review questions of fact, law and policy.
Postponing the effective date should not affect the compliance date, which is in 2028, as noted in the Federal Register.
The rule updated the definition of what can be labeled as “healthy” for the first time since 1994. Under the new guidance, these products must include certain foods and meet limits on saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.
Former USTR officials urge lawmakers to revamp trade enforcement tools
Former trade officials have warned lawmakers that existing trade tools and future cuts to trade agencies could leave U.S. producers exposed to unfair trade practices.
Jeffrey Gerrish lamented that officials hadn’t done more under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to protect growers in Florida. Gerrish served as deputy U.S. trade representative during Trump’s first term.
“There are deficiencies in the law that prevent our growers from being able to take action,” he said during a Ways and Means trade subcommittee hearing on Tuesday.
Gerrish called for an overhaul of the trade tools used to address dumping and foreign subsidies. He told Agri-Pulse after the hearing that he wants to see adjustments to allow regional industries to initiate cases.
Take note: As the Trump administration looks for further federal government cuts, former USTR General Counsel Greta Peisch warned lawmakers to protect trade agency staffing levels.
“These agencies are already overwhelmed,” Peisch said, citing an uptick in trade enforcement cases and a slew of statutory reporting deadlines.
Boston-based startup showcases first lab-made whole cow milk
Brown Foods demonstrated the world’s first lab-made whole cow milk on Tuesday.
UnReal Milk, as it is known, was developed to have the same taste, texture and nutritional makeup of cow’s milk. Unlike other cow-free milk substitutes, the product can also be made into other milk derivatives like butter, cheese and ice cream.
A press release says that Boston’s Brown Foods took three years to develop the product and argues the technology can be scaled up for mass market consumption.
Final word
“From my perspective, in agriculture, all the easy stuff was done a long time ago on trade. We rattled cages the first time around… to great effect with regard to China, the USMCA and Japan. And I'd like to see us do that again with Canada and European Union,” – Gregg Doud, National Milk Producers Federation president and CEO, and former USTR chief agricultural negotiator, told the Ways and Means trade subcommittee.
