As one of his first actions in office, President Donald Trump fired Gwynne Wilcox, acting chair of the National Labor Relations Board, along with the general counsel.
The move stalled collective bargaining cases and sparked debate over whether the president had the authority to remove a board member. It prompted Wilcox to contest the decision in court. And on Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with his counterparts in 20 states, filed a briefing supporting Wilcox in the case.
Bonta contends board members do not serve at the pleasure of the president. The agency overseeing worker rights cannot currently function, and Bonta fears it is “leaving the field open for bad actor employers to violate the law and trample on workers’ rights.”
Meanwhile: Trump elevated William Cowen, the NLRB’s Los Angeles director, to acting general counsel and reduced the board members from five to just two. Cowen has rescinded more than a dozen NLRB guidance documents under the Biden administration.
Golden State of affairs: Julia Montgomery, general counsel at the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, anticipates Trump’s actions “will trickle down to us.” The state regulator is obligated to follow the precedent and decisions of its national standard bearer. At a recent budget hearing, Montgomery warned state lawmakers NLRB is likely to reverse several decisions once it has a full quorum again.
Montgomery also worried about the chill factor. She noted that after immigration raids in Kern County in January, farmworkers have not shown up to participate as witnesses in an ALRB hearing there. That reluctance to participate was evident during the first Trump administration as well, she said.
Canada, China retaliate against U.S. ag exports
China moved swiftly to retaliate against higher U.S. tariffs that went into effect on Tuesday, announcing new duties on a slate of American agriculture exports, while Canada implemented the first step of its two-step retaliation plan. Canadian and Mexican officials, however, are still in talks with the administration to negotiate a solution.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
Rollins reassures county officials on tariffs, USDA offices
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Tuesday she hopes USDA services aren't disrupted due to the termination of leases for Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service offices.
Speaking of impending tariffs on trade partners, she told farmers that they should trust President Donald Trump.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
Grassley: Lawmakers likely to press administration for tariff waivers
Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley expects lawmakers to appeal to Trump for tariff waivers and says he’s ready to ask for carve-outs for certain ag inputs.
Grassley told reporters, “There's going to be some requests of individual senators and congressmen to ask for some waivers.”
The Senate Ag Committee members said he is ready to push for exemptions on piglets and reiterate his request for a potash exclusion. U.S. farmers rely on Canada for more than 80% of potash supply.
“We're getting baby pigs almost daily from Canada,” Grassley said. “A big tariff on those pigs would be catastrophic for pork in Iowa.”
Trump to farmers on tariffs: Have ‘a lot of fun’
Donald Trump is doubling down on his prediction that farmers are going to sell a lot more of their crops domestically because of his trade wars. Trump imposed higher tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico on Tuesday. And in his speech Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress, Trump reiterated his plan to impose reciprocal tariffs starting April 2.
“It may be a little bit of an adjustment period,” Trump warned. But he asserted that farmers would have “a field day” because of tariffs on U.S. ag imports.
“So, to our farmers have a lot of fun. I love you, too,” Trump told Congress.
Pushback grows on Trump’s post
The vast majority of American Soybean Association’s members are likely strong Trump supporters, but they're also concerned about the tariffs and related impacts. They issued a strongly worded press release on Tuesday titled, “Tariffs Are Not ‘Fun’ & Farmers Are Frustrated” in response to Trump’s post we wrote about in Tuesday’s Daybreak.
U.S. agriculture lost $27 billion in the last trade war and soybeans accounted for 71% of it. As a result, ASA CEO Steve Censky says there is “heightened sensitivity among our producers.” Censky said his farmer leaders wanted to send a strong message about exports and the potential impacts on input prices for fertilizer, potash, and other inputs.
One big difference now and then: In 2018, most soybean farmers were in better financial shape and able to withstand the negative impacts from a trade war. Now, Censky says prices are down 50% from three years ago and input prices are still high and sticky. Plus, during the last trade war growers watched Brazil permanently expand acreage which “continues to haunt us today around the world.”
One-year CR text expected this weekend
House Republicans plan to finalize by this weekend a new continuing resolution to keep the government funded until the end of the fiscal year. Democrats still aren’t on board with the plan. They want assurances Trump will abide by spending levels.
House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., says appropriators could quickly pivot to a shorter CR to avert a government shutdown.
Meanwhile: Elon Musk is expected to meet with GOP lawmakers Wednesday night to discuss recent DOGE cuts. It comes as some Republicans have voiced concerns with how federal staff cuts and funding decisions are impacting their districts.
Cole said he has no expectations for the meeting. He says he hopes Musk consults with members before taking significant action in their districts.
Final word:
“This lingering economic harm is quite likely to be replicated this time on a broader scale.” — Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia, in response to Trump’s new tariffs.
Puglia warned Tuesday that, even before the tariffs took effect, Canadian grocery chains were canceling orders from American growers and pivoting to other countries. Along with the immediate loss of sales, the tariffs could permanently handicap WGA’s members, as competitors capture the markets, he explained.
