Government Affairs Insights on Floral

Senate Agriculture Committee Releases Reconciliation Text:

On June 11, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry released legislative text to contribute towards the Senate’s broader budget reconciliation package. In the beginning of the reconciliation process, Senate Ag was instructed to cut at least $1 billion from within the Committee’s jurisdiction, which was vastly different than the House Agriculture Committee’s instruction of $230 billion. Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) and the Committee market the bill as reining in runaway spending in the nutrition title while promoting fiscal responsibility and investing in rural America and America’s farm families. In the Senate’s version, the bill has a net savings total closer to $140 billion, whereas the House’s version meets their instruction of $230 billion in net savings. Per the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cost-sharing, the outlined Senate proposal would cap the percentage of SNAP costs that states would have to pay at 15%. However, this percentage depends on the state’s payment error rate, states at an error rate under 6% not having to cover any SNAP costs. The policy would go into effect in 2028 to give states the opportunity to address their error rates. States would also have to cover 75% of SNAP’s administrative costs as they currently split this cost with the federal government. Of note to the specialty crop sector, Chairman Boozman’s bill also increases funding for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), Specialty Crop Block Grants, Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention, as well as enhances crop insurance and bolsters funding for trade promotion programs. Now, with all the Senate Committees having released their respective reconciliation texts, the Senate’s complete reconciliation package could be considered on the floor as early as next week as lawmakers race against the pressure of a July 4 deadline being imposed by the White House. You can see the Senate Agriculture Committee's complete reconciliation specific text here and a section-by-section summary here. 

Stephen Vaden Confirmed by the Senate as Deputy USDA Secretary

On June 10, Judge Stephen Vaden was confirmed in the Senate by a party-line vote of 51-44 to be the next Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Judge Vaden, currently still sitting on the U.S Court of International Trade, previously served as USDA’s general counsel during the first Trump administration. In his role at USDA, he will continue similar work to his role under the first Trump term where he was closely involved in trade plans and agency reorganization. There are still several USDA nominees awaiting confirmation votes by the Senate in order to continue to build out USDA's leadership positions. 

Secretary Rollins Testifies Before House Agriculture Committee

On June 11, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins testified before the House Agriculture Committee. During the hearing, Republicans and Democrats agreed on the importance of supporting American farmers and ensuring the resilience of rural communities. Republicans focused on reducing regulatory burdens, increasing transparency regarding U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs, expanding trade, and addressing national security threats to agriculture. Democrats voiced their opposition to recent USDA staff reductions and cuts to grant program and funding, in addition to drawbacks on programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Food for Peace. Other topics discussed include wildfire management, foreign interference in agriculture, and animal disease outbreaks particularly for New World Screwworm (NWS) and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), generational farm transitions, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) report, and labor shortages.