GOP reconciliation bill inches forward
Presented by
With help from Jennifer Scholtes, Meredith Lee Hill and Samuel Benson
QUICK FIX
— The House Budget Committee clears the way for Republicans' sweeping tax and spending package to move forward.
— Anti-hunger advocates warn the House's cuts to nutrition assistance and other food programs will make people hungrier — and less healthy.
— USDA tees up its reorganization plan for May 27, days after a court order barring further staff reductions is set to expire. The court could extend the pause on staff cuts, however.
HAPPY MONDAY. It's May 19. Welcome to Morning Agriculture. I'm your host Marcia Brown. Have you seen the MAHA Commission's anticipated report or know what's in it? Get in touch at marciabrown@politico.com or in Signal at marciagbrown.68. Follow us @Morning_Ag for more.
Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories.
Driving the day
BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL: Lawmakers gave the go-ahead to Republicans' tax and spending package late Sunday night, paving the way for $300 billion in cuts to the nation's largest anti-hunger program. The move comes after holdouts demanded last-minute changes to the bill.
As our Jennifer Scholtes and Meredith Lee Hill write, House Republican leaders have not yet publicly detailed possible changes or briefed the full House GOP Conference, and those concessions to fiscal hawks could endanger support among moderate Republicans wary of changes like speeding up enforcement of Medicaid work requirements and swiftly ending green energy tax perks enacted during the Biden administration.
NUTRITION CUTS: House Agriculture Committee's sweeping portion of the 'big, beautiful bill' includes complicated policy tweaks like limiting updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, the basis for calculating SNAP benefits, stricter work requirements and cutting smaller programs altogether. The proposal saves $300 billion, and is enough for lawmakers to include $60 billion in spending on farm bill programs like crop insurance.
But anti-hunger advocates say this ultimately results in fewer people getting nutrition assistance and, over time, benefits that don't keep pace with food inflation. On average, benefits are about $6 a day.
Time crunch: Stricter work requirements means millions fewer eligible people, according to the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. This also means that parents newly forced to meet work requirements will have less time to cook, pushing them toward quick, time-saving meals, many of which are highly processed, explains Benjamin Scharadin, assistant professor of economics at Colby College.
'These fiscal and money pushes might directly be in contrast to the MAHA pushes,' said Scharadin, noting that households with tighter budgets rely on calorie-dense foods.
'Those foods are much more convenient,' he added. 'The exact situation we're talking about with able-bodied workers now, like kids being involved in it. If you have kids, you're rushing to get them from school, and you're working. Convenient foods that are calorie dense and have a high satiation point are huge. But those foods don't necessarily have the nutrition aspect.'
Nutrition education: An anti-obesity initiative at USDA would get the axe under the House approved plan, saving $5 billion. House Republicans say that the program has little evidence of efficacy, citing a 2019 GAO report.
MA readers will remember that supporters say the programming has improved since the report and that killing it contradicts MAHA objectives.
'It's really MAHA for low-income people,' Jerry Mande, adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told your host. 'Not just SNAP recipients, but all low-income people.'
SNAP-Ed supporters have also stood up a new website advocating to save the program.
Impact on citizens: Immigrant rights' advocates are also warning that the proposal would cut SNAP access for lawfully present immigrants, including asylees, survivors of domestic violence and child trafficking. Under the GOP proposal, only U.S. citizens and lawful green card holders would be eligible. Currently, green card holders must wait five years to qualify for SNAP.
These changes will likely impact U.S. citizen children, said Esther Reyes, campaign strategist for the Protecting Immigrant Families coalition. 'This would be tragic if it only affected noncitizens,' she said. 'But for U.S. citizen children, if their parents fall under one of [these categories and] lose access to SNAP, there will be greater food insecurity for the entire family.'
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 1 in 4 children in the U.S. live in immigrant families, 89 percent of whom are U.S. citizens, as of 2022.
State burden: The biggest savings come from forcing states to pay a bigger portion of SNAP costs, including shouldering the cost of benefits — starting at roughly 5 percent depending on the state's error rate — and 75 percent of the administrative costs of the program. The plan has prompted some states, including Alabama, to warn that they just can't afford it, and would be forced to cut back benefits. GOP proponents of the plan argue it will incentivize states to root out fraud.
But, but, but: The bill still has a ways to go to become law. And some key ag senators, including Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), are already suggesting the need for 'a do-over.'
AROUND THE AGENCIES
USDA REORG INCOMING: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins plans to announce USDA's reorganization plan and further staff reductions later this month, according to documents obtained by POLITICO your host reported late Friday evening.
Rollins, who has previously said a major reorganization of USDA is forthcoming, plans to announce the details on the morning of May 27, according to the documents. A week later, on June 3, she is expected to announce a third deferred resignation program with a deadline of June 10 for a 'targeted audience.'
The reorganization announcement is set to come four days after the expiration date of a court order prohibiting USDA from following through with any more job cuts and the first work day after Memorial Day weekend.
IN THE STATES
SNAP WAIVERS: As of May 15, seven states have requested permission from USDA to ban junk food, like soda or candy. Last week, Rollins' home state of Texas joined the group. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis became the first Democratic governor to submit a waiver request last week, too.
'We are one of the healthiest states in the nation, and these new SNAP criteria, if approved, will help bring healthier choices into food deserts and help Coloradans stay healthy while supporting Colorado farmers,' Polis said in a statement. 'SNAP provides critical help to Colorado families, and Congress should not cut the food assistance nor shift costs to the states.'
Rollins has promised to rush through the requests, but USDA did not respond to a request for comment when asked for an update on the timeline for waivers.
Refresh: Waivers allow states to make changes to the SNAP program with their state, but they operate like pilots. The changes must be temporary and states must report its success to USDA.
Asked for comment, USDA spokesperson Seth Christensen said in a statement: 'These waivers are still under review and FNS has not approved or denied any at this time.' He added: 'This collaboration includes holding daily technical assistance calls with each submitting state as proposals are under development.'
What's next: Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz told our Samuel Benson that Utah intends to submit its waiver request 'within the next few days.' They must do so before July 1, as mandated by their state legislature.
Row Crops
— Rollins will be in Nebraska today with Gov. Jim Pillen and Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.).
— Brazil announced its first outbreak of bird flu on a commercial farm. (Reuters)
— The New York Times asks: What if a grocery store was more like a farmers' market?
— President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said it is 'logistically complicated' to feed hungry Gazans.
THAT'S ALL FOR MA! Drop us a line and send us your agriculture job announcements or events: gyarrow@politico.com, marciabrown@politico.com, jwolman@politico.com, sbenson@politico.com, rdugyala@politico.com and gmott@politico.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
13 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump formally asks Congress to claw back approved spending targeted by DOGE
WASHINGTON — The White House on Tuesday officially asked Congress to claw back $9.4 billion in already approved spending, taking funding away from programs targeted by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. It's a process known as 'rescission,' which requires President Donald Trump to get approval from Congress to return money that had previously been appropriated. Trump's aides say the funding cuts target programs that promote liberal ideologies. The request, if it passes the House and Senate, would formally enshrine many of the spending cuts and freezes sought by DOGE. It comes at a time when Musk is extremely unhappy with the tax cut and spending plan making its way through Congress, calling it on Tuesday a 'disgusting abomination' for increasing the federal deficit. White House budget director Russ Vought said more rescission packages and other efforts to cut spending could follow if the current effort succeeds. ' Here's what to know about the rescissions request: The request to Congress is unlikely to meaningfully change the troublesome increase in the U.S. national debt. Tax revenues have been insufficient to cover the growing costs of Social Security, Medicare and other programs. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the government is on track to spend roughly $7 trillion this year, with the rescission request equaling just 0.1% of that total. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at Tuesday's briefing that Vought would continue to cut spending, hinting that there could be additional efforts to return funds. 'He has tools at his disposal to produce even more savings,' Leavitt said. Vought said he can send up additional rescissions at the end of the fiscal year in September 'and if Congress does not act on it, that funding expires.' 'It's one of the reasons why we are not putting all of our expectations in a typical rescissions process,' he added. A spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget, speaking on condition of anonymity to preview some of the items that would lose funding, said that $8.3 billion was being cut from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. NPR and PBS would also lose federal funding, as would the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, also known as PEPFAR. The spokesperson listed specific programs that the Trump administration considered wasteful, including $750,000 to reduce xenophobia in Venezuela, $67,000 for feeding insect powder to children in Madagascar and $3 million for circumcision, vasectomies and condoms in Zambia. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., complimented the planned cuts and pledged to pass them. 'This rescissions package reflects many of DOGE's findings and is one of the many legislative tools Republicans are using to restore fiscal sanity,' Johnson said. 'Congress will continue working closely with the White House to codify these recommendations, and the House will bring the package to the floor as quickly as possible.' Members of the House Freedom Caucus, among the chamber's most conservative lawmakers, said they would like to see additional rescission packages from the administration. 'We will support as many more rescissions packages the White House can send us in the coming weeks and months,' the group said in a press release. Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, gave the package a less optimistic greeting. 'Despite this fast track, the Senate Appropriations Committee will carefully review the rescissions package and examine the potential consequences of these rescissions on global health, national security, emergency communications in rural communities, and public radio and television stations,' the Maine lawmaker said in a statement. Boak writes for the Associated Press.
Fox News
14 minutes ago
- Fox News
Booker, Cruz spar over threats to US judges in fiery Senate spat
Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas., sparred Tuesday over the uptick in threats made to federal court judges during President Donald Trump's second term. Their heated standoff comes as federal judges have issued a record number of injunctions against the flurry of executive actions by the president. The testy exchange took place during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing titled "The Supposedly Least Dangerous Branch: District Judges v. Trump." Cruz, the subcommittee chair, used his remarks at the outset of the hearing to take aim at Democrats on the subcommittee, who he said were "utterly silent" about judicial threats under the Biden administration, including after threats were made against conservative Supreme Court justices. Cruz took aim at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for "unleashing" protesters who gathered outside the homes of Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh prior to their decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization – the landmark ruling that overturned a 50-year-old abortion rights precedent – which he later said was ironic given the current "pearl-clutching" stance of Democrats on the panel. His remarks sparked a quick rebuke from Booker, who said, "Something you said is actually dangerous, and it needs to be addressed." "This implication that there was silence [from Democrats on the panel] at a time there were threats on people's houses is absolutely absurd," he continued. "I remember the rhetoric and the comments, the concern from [Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.]," Booker said. "I actually distinctly remember you, chairman, on more than one occasion, condemning those attacks on Republican-appointed jurists." "To say things like that just feeds the partisanship in this institution, and it feeds the fiery rhetoric. And it's just plain not true," Booker added. In response, Cruz argued the "angry mobs" that appeared outside the homes of conservative Supreme Court justices prior to their decision in Dobbs were in violation of U.S.C. Section 1507. That law prohibits picketing outside the homes of judges or justices' homes in a way that could influence their decision or otherwise obstruct justice. Despite the protests, Cruz said, the Biden-led Justice Department "prosecuted nobody." "I really appreciate that you have now shifted the accusation you made earlier," Booker shot back. "Your accusation was that we were silent in the face of protests at Supreme Court justices' homes. Again, we joined together in a bipartisan way, not only to condemn that but to pass legislation to extend round-the-clock security protection. So if you're saying we didn't criticize –" he started before Cruz interjected. "Did the Biden DOJ go out and arrest a single person under this law?" the Texas lawmaker asked. Booker attempted to respond before Cruz interrupted again, "Did the Biden DOJ arrest even one [person]? Again, the answer is no." Booker attempted once more to respond before Cruz interrupted again, prompting Booker to raise his voice. "I did not interrupt you, sir, I would appreciate it if you would let me finish," he told Cruz. "I am sick and tired of hearing the kind of heated partisan rhetoric, which is one of the reasons why we have such divisions in this country," Booker continued, prompting Cruz to laugh openly in response. "The attacks we see from the president of the United States of America, trolling and dragging judges through is what we should be talking about," Booker said. "I'm simply taking issue with the claim that you made at the top, that people on the Democratic side of the aisle do not care about the safety and the security of judges and said nothing," he continued, adding that the notion that his Democrat colleagues said nothing in the face of Supreme Court justice threats "is a patent lie." The two continued arguing before Cruz said, "Let the record reflect that Spartacus did not answer the question and did not tell us whether the criminal law" under U.S.C. Section 1507 should be enforced, "because he knows the answer is yes." The hearing comes as the number of threats against federal judges has spiked during Trump's second term, which has seen hundreds of federal lawsuits filed in courts across the country seeking to either pause or halt the flurry of sweeping executive orders and actions taken by the president. Trump has repeatedly criticized what he called "activist judges," prompting Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare public warning. The U.S. Marshals Service said last week that it has investigated more than 370 threats against federal judges since Trump's inauguration in January, which is a sharp rise from 2024, when 509 people were investigated during the entire year. Democrats on the panel used Tuesday's hearing to renew requests for the Justice Department and FBI to investigate an uptick in anonymous "pizza deliveries" sent to federal judges, which can be used as a threat or warning to let judges know their home address is known.
The Hill
16 minutes ago
- The Hill
Santa Ono rejected for University of Florida presidency amid conservative backlash
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Longtime academic Santa Ono was rejected Tuesday for the University of Florida presidency by the state university system board amid sharp criticism from political conservatives about his past support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and other initiatives they view as unacceptable liberal ideology. The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state's universities, voted 10-6 against Ono, who was most recently president of the University of Michigan. The University of Florida Board of Trustees had voted unanimously in May to approve Ono as the school's 14th president, and it is unprecedented for the governors to reverse such an action. Now the search will start all over. Ono's proposed contract included a number of ideological requirements, such as how well he stopped programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. He was to cooperate with Gov. Ron DeSantis' Office of Government Efficiency — similar to the office created by President Donald Trump — and appoint other university officials and deans who are 'firmly aligned' with Florida's approach. Several prominent conservatives raised questions about Ono before the vote over pro-Palestinian protests, climate change efforts, gender ideology and DEI programs at the University of Michigan and his previous academic positions. These actions, Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said on the X social platform, show 'he is willing to appease and prioritize far-left activists over ensuring students are protected and receive a quality education.' Others raising objections include Donald Trump Jr. and Florida GOP U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds, Greg Steube and Jimmy Patronis. Donalds is a Republican candidate for governor. Writing in Inside Higher Ed, Ono said he supported DEI initiatives at first because they aim was 'equal opportunity and fairness for every student.' 'But over time, I saw how DEI became something else — more about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success,' Ono wrote, adding that he eventually limited DEI offices at Michigan. 'I believe in Florida's vision for higher education.' DeSantis, a Republican who has pushed reforms in higher education to eliminate what he calls 'woke' policies such as DEI, did not take a public stand on Ono but did say at a recent news conference that some of his statements made the governor 'cringe.' Ono faced similar pointed questions at Tuesday's meeting — especially from former Republican state House speakers Paul Renner and Jose Oliva — leading board member Charles Lydecker to object to the procedure. 'We have never used this as a forum to interrogate. This is not a court of law. Candidly, this process does not seem fair to me,' Lydecker said. Oliva, however, questioned how to square Ono's many past statements about hot-button cultural issues with his more conservative stance now that he sought the Florida job. 'Now we are told to believe you are now abandoning an entire ideological architecture,' Oliva said. 'We are asking someone to lead our flagship university. I don't understand how it becomes unfair.' Steube, writing on X, praised the board for its decision. 'Great news for my alma mater and the state of Florida! The Board of Governors heard us loud and clear: Santa Ono was the wrong choice for UF,' the congressman said. Ono was to replace Kent Fuchs, who became the school's temporary, interim president last summer after ex-U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse stepped down. Sasse left the U.S. Senate, where he had represented Nebraska, to become the university's president in 2023. Sasse announced in July he was leaving the job after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy. Later reports surfaced that Sasse gave six former staffers and two former Republican officials jobs with salaries that outstripped comparable positions and spent over $1.3 million on private catering for lavish dinners, football tailgates and extravagant social functions in his first year on the job. Ono is also the former president of the University of British Columbia and the University of Cincinnati.
