Daybreak April 2: White House says 'Liberation Day' tariffs could take immediate effect

President Donald Trump is set to unveil the largest tariff announcement of his presidency today, in what he has dubbed “Liberation Day” in America. But those hoping for some runway to prepare for new duties may be disappointed. The White House says the new tariffs will come into play immediately.  

“My understanding is that the tariff announcement will come tomorrow. They will be effective immediately,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.

An immediate application will likely rankle some in the ag sector. Industries have been calling for delays to adjust to any new duties. But the administration will be spared any real time stock market reaction, as the announcement is slated for 4 p.m. Eastern, after markets close.

But, but, but: Exactly what the duties will look like is still unclear and may have still been up in the air as late as Tuesday afternoon, the Wall Street Journal reported. However, Leavitt told reporters earlier in the day that the president had settled on a path forward.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke to Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee on Monday night. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told Agri-Pulse that the secretary briefly raised the tariff plans in that meeting.

“My understanding is reciprocity is the principle,” Cornyn said.

GOP ag leaders to meet on farm bill, reconciliation 

Chairs of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, John Boozman, R-Ark., and Glenn Thomson, R-Pa., are set to meet today. The two will discuss farm bill and potentially moving provisions into the budget reconciliation process. 

“I want to sit down and again, just see where we're at and what we feel like the best path forward is, recognizing that our farmers are in desperate need of help,” Boozman told reporters Tuesday. 

Boozman said they’ll discuss potentially moving Title I provisions of the farm bill into reconciliation and other farm bill policy.

Agri-Pulse Associate Editor Noah Wicks was in Des Moines Monday where opponents of a bill in the state legislature gathered for a press conference. Rep. Megan Srinivas spoke against the bill, which would grant a degree of immunity to pesticide manufacturers from product liability suits if their labels conform with federal pesticide law. The bill has passed the Senate and is awaiting action in the House, Read more in our recent article here.

RFK Jr. faces backlash over layoffs

Reductions in force at the Department of Health and Human Services have prompted harsh criticism from an array of public health groups and former officials.

HHS wasn’t saying anything publicly, but plenty of others were.

“The [Food and Drug Administration] as we've known it is finished,” former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf wrote on LinkedIn. He lamented the loss of deep institutional knowledge and collective understanding of product development and safety. He added that “it will be interesting to hear from the new leadership how they plan to put ‘Humpty Dumpty’ back together again.”

Industry sources told Agri-Pulse the cuts in FDA were “extensive.” One person noted that the only person left in the director’s office at the Center for Veterinary Medicine is the director herself – Tracey Forfa. The Wall Street Journal reported that FDA’s lead bird flu veterinarian was fired.

What’s next: Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who said Kennedy had promised to keep him in the loop about his plans, has scheduled a hearing on cuts at the FDA. Last week, RFK Jr. short-term cuts of 10,000 were planned, including 3,500 at FDA.

But, but, but: A Senate ally of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sees positives in the cuts.

 “I think the commitment is to make sure that we keep the mission-critical positions,” said Kansas GOP Sen. Roger Marshall. “At the end of the day” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and HHS “will be much better and much more efficient.”

Oil and biofuel groups show unified front on biofuel volumes

A coalition of oil, biofuel and farm groups met with the EPA on Tuesday to present a united front in asking for higher advanced biofuel volumes in 2026. A source familiar with the talks says the coalition recommended biobased-diesel volume obligations of 5.25 billion gallons and a 15 billion gallon differential for ethanol. 

The joint recommendation is a sharp contrast from the first Trump administration when oil and biofuel groups often clashed over the Renewable Fuel Standard. 

It’s unclear exactly when the EPA may propose RVOs for 2026. Sources familiar with the talks said the agency wants to move quickly and finalize the volumes by Nov. 1. 

Read more about this coalition in this week’s Agri-Pulse newsletter. 

Groups seek funding boost for USDA research arm

Sixty agricultural, academic and food organizations are asking the House and Senate Appropriations committees for a funding boost for the Agricultural Research Service.

In a letter to leaders of House and Senate agricultural appropriations subcommittees, the groups are requesting $1.87 billion for ARS salaries and expenses. That’s a 5% increase from FY2025 levels.

"This level of funding will ensure that ARS can respond effectively to new plant and animal pests and diseases, weather and environmental stresses, and food safety and nutrition security concerns,” the groups write.

The National Corn Growers Association, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the National Association of Wheat Growers, and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition are among the signatories.

Members appoint new ag negotiations chair at WTO

Pakistan’s ambassador to the World Trade Organization Ali Sarfraz Hussain will chair ongoing agriculture negotiations. Members approved his appointment at a WTO Committee on Agriculture meeting on Tuesday.

Why it matters: The WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said she wants agriculture to be a central focus of the organization’s ministerial conference next year. Members are looking for a path forward in talks on rules governing food procurement, domestic support, export restrictions and market access, among other issues.

Final Word

“There will be no farm bill if SNAP is gutted. The longstanding coalition of farm country and nutrition folks that work together to get a farm bill will be fractured beyond repair. … The Republican aggies know this, but they're too scared to stand up to their leadership.” – House Ag Committee member Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

On Tuesday, McGovern and House Agriculture Committee Reps. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., introduced the Hunger Free Futures Act. The bill aims to prevent changes to SNAP that could cut benefits.