Philip Brasher

Republicans are back in charge on both sides of Congress for the first time in six years, facing pressure to make good on President-elect Donald Trump’s tax and border policies and to prepare his slate of nominees for quick confirmation.

Welcome to the new year, and a new, GOP-controlled Congress. Lawmakers are facing some tough debates and choices when the 119^th Congress kicks off Friday, starting off with Mike Johnson’s bid for re-election as House speaker.

The 119^th Congress kicks off today at noon, with the swearing in of new members – and the election of a House speaker. After meeting with conservative holdouts Thursday, Speaker Mike Johnson was expressing confidence that he’s going to get re-elected relatively easily. Johnson told Fox Business host Larry Kudlow that he thought the voting would take just one ballot.

A lopsided snowpack changes the game * Captive audience law goes to court * Johnson faces tight margin in speaker vote

Texas farmers will receive about 10% of the $9.7 billion in market relief payments that Congress authorized in its year-end funding bill, according to a University of Missouri analysis. Iowa, Illinois and Kansas will collectively receive another 25% of the total.

Jimmy Carter, the former president and statesman who died Sunday at 100, was famously proud of being a peanut farmer and is being remembered for working to address food insecurity through modern farming practices and technology, and for giving time to help his old industry. 

Stephen Vaden, a judge on the Court of International Trade who served as general counsel for USDA during President-elect Donald Trump's first administration, has been selected to be the department’s deputy secretary.

After a week of high drama, the Senate cleared a stopgap spending bill early Saturday that includes $21 billion in ag disaster assistance, $10 billion in market relief for farmers, and a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill. Dropped from the bill was a debt limit increase that President-elect Donald Trump had demanded. 

House GOP leaders were left searching for a way to avoid a government shutdown after the House soundly rejected the latest stopgap spending bill. FDA food chief sees some alignment with RFK, while senators form a MAHA caucus.

A partial government shutdown loomed closer Thursday night after the House soundly defeated a scaled-down stopgap spending bill that included a debt-limit increase President-elect Donald Trump demanded, plus economic assistance for farmers.