Food and Agriculture
The latest news, analysis and updates on food, agriculture and farming politics and policy.
House GOP chair tangles with Josh Shapiro over megabill food-aid cuts
Rep. G.T. Thompson said his home state’s Democratic governor is mischaracterizing the GOP’s SNAP overhaul.
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MAHA gets frustrated with Kennedy ahead of new policy report
The movement’s advocates want him to go further in restricting vaccines and pesticides, despite industry pressure.
Trump teased a solution for farmers. It’s likely not coming soon.
The president’s remarks underscore the concern that any allowance for undocumented workers would cause political blowback.
What It Will Take to Get U.S. Citizens to Work the Farm — According to Dolores Huerta
The longtime farm labor activist gets candid about the fallout from Trump’s deportation efforts.
Trump got his tariff hike. The rest remains murky.
He is taking a victory lap on his trade agenda after reaching deals with the EU and Japan, but it’s not clear how much countries have agreed to.
USDA reorganization will move most of its Washington staff ‘closer to’ farmers
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is closing several D.C.-area buildings but notably will not pursue a large-scale reduction in force.
Republicans’ food aid cuts will hit grocers in many towns that backed Trump
The GOP’s policy megabill could reshape how people in rural and small towns access food.
Border czar Tom Homan says there will be ‘no amnesty’ for undocumented farmworkers
President Donald Trump has suggested his administration will come up with a program that farmers can use to ensure they have the labor they need.
‘I really feel for her’: Brooke Rollins’ impossible Trump administration mandate
The Agriculture secretary has spent the past several weeks trying to tame the intensifying political blowback from MAGA allies and immigration hawks.
‘Unnecessary red tape’: Trump administration sues California over price of eggs
Egg prices were a key talking point for Republicans in the 2024 campaign.
Supreme Court disabuses federal workers who thought their jobs were safe
Civil servants told POLITICO they’re anxious and exhausted, but holding out hope their lawyers can still save their jobs.
How the lone farmer running a state government is navigating Trump’s turbulent policies
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen talks foreign trade, federal spending cuts and his once-rocky relationship with the president.
Millions more Americans could turn to food banks soon. Food banks are simply not ready.
Republicans are slashing more than $1 trillion from federal safety net programs, which leaves already struggling food banks to fill in the gap.
US and Vietnam reach initial tariff deal
President Donald Trump said he will reduce tariffs on Vietnam while Hanoi will open its market to U.S. agricultural products and strengthen rules of origin standards to cut down on transshipment, according to a draft statement obtained by POLITICO.
Boozman rushes to block Grassley’s farm aid amendment
The amendment could tee up a farm bill floor fight and is already getting support from some Democratic senators.
Senate GOP leaders may face a farm bill floor fight in megabill debate
Dozens of agriculture groups sent a letter Sunday night urging senators to oppose a new farm amendment from Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
Trump won’t let other countries score big ‘wins’ in trade talks. Both sides could lose.
India has been eager to cut a deal to avoid U.S. tariffs. But they — and other countries — fear the ones being offered could be political suicide.
Senate GOP adds SNAP waivers for Alaska, Hawaii in new megabill text
Alaska’s Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan have spent the last few weeks pushing to change the state cost-share plan.
Senate parliamentarian approves tweaked SNAP cost-share plan
The parliamentarian’s go-ahead is a win for Republican senators, who are scrambling to keep their policy megabill together.
Senate parliamentarian privately indicated support for GOP’s tweaked SNAP cost-share plan
No official ruling has been made and Senate Democrats haven’t received the new megabill text.
Senate GOP’s plan to push food aid costs onto states axed from megabill
The cost-share plan was a critical way for Republicans to trim spending to pay for their massive reconciliation package and farm bill programs.
Trump’s focus on blue state deportation belies a red state problem
His allies acknowledge Republicans are divided on how to handle undocumented labor in the agriculture industry — and Trump himself has listened to both sides.
Trump officials delayed farm trade report over deficit forecast
Administration officials blocked publication of written analysis that normally accompanies the report because they disliked what it said about the deficit.
Agriculture portion of megabill sliding to next week
The Agriculture Committee is still working through controversial farm bill provisions and food aid spending cuts in its portion of the bill.
House budget bill would cut millions of people from food aid, CBO says
Tighter work requirements for SNAP save $92 billion in spending — and force 3.2 million people out of the program.
RFK Jr. says food and pharma are poisoning Americans. His big report says a fix is coming.
The Make America Healthy Again Commission that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leads will release a strategy to combat chronic disease by summer’s end.
RFK Jr.’s big report is coming. The GOP’s farm and food allies are sweating.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again Commission will assess the causes of childhood disease on Thursday.
Rice scandal topples Japan’s agriculture minister
“I made an extremely inappropriate remark at a time when consumers are struggling with soaring rice prices,” Taku Eto said.
More than 15,000 USDA employees take Trump’s offer to resign
Their departures will affect how the department administers food safety and nutrition programs, conducts research and offers services to farmers.
Democratic AGs sue Trump over tariffs
New York Attorney General Letitia James and 11 others are alleging the president’s tariffs were an illegally imposed tax hike.
Labor Department sidelines staffers amid DOGE push for immigrant data
DOGE staffers have tried to access information related to the National Farmworker Jobs Program.