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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Monday, March 17, 2025
As the Trump administration tightens its scrutiny over Biden-era climate programs, federal funding for the Working Lands Conservation Corps is drawing to a halt.
President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the Food and Drug Administration, Martin Makary, said at his Senate confirmation hearing he wants to take a close look at chemicals in food and make school meals healthier.
USDA probationary employees who were abruptly fired from their jobs last month have gotten a temporary reprieve. The chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board ordered that they be reinstated in their jobs for 45 days while the case against the department is stayed.
President Donald Trump’s latest deadline for imposing new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China looms Tuesday, while on Capitol Hill negotiators remain deadlocked over plans to avoid a government shutdown after March 14.
The Trump administration has moved into its next phase in shrinking the federal workforce by asking federal agencies to develop plans for large-scale reductions in force.
USDA is in the process of hiring back scientists in the Agricultural Research Service who were summarily fired from their positions because they had not completed their probationary periods, according to union representatives.
The Senate is back in session this week with a key nomination for trade policy on senators’ to-do list, as well as the GOP budget resolution. Howard Lutnick’s nomination to be secretary of commerce is next in line for the Senate after the nomination of Kash Patel, the far more controversial pick to lead the FBI.
The newly sworn in secretary of agriculture pledged Friday to return the agency to its “core mission” in an address to employees and supporters at the USDA’s headquarters. She also told USDA employees to cooperate with the Department of Government Efficiency initiative led by Elon Musk.
