Secretary Rollins Testifies before both House and Senate Appropriations:

This past week, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins took to Capitol Hill and testified before both the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. Generally, Democrats and Republicans alike agreed that the President’s fiscal year 2026 budget request must sufficiently fund the USDA to best support farmers, ranchers, and families in rural America. Members of the Subcommittee emphasized the importance of the USDA releasing the $20 billion in natural disaster relief funding that was appropriated through last December’s continuing resolution.

Republicans commended Secretary Rollins for prioritizing producers and facilitating efforts to eliminate wasteful spending within the Department. Additionally, Republicans discussed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) reform, expanding foreign market accessibility, and protecting domestic farmland from foreign ownership. Democrats argued that the FY26 request inappropriately cuts nutrition programs that support schools and foreign countries. Further, Democrats raised concerns about staff reductions, funding freezes at the USDA, and how the Trump Administration’s tariff policy has exacerbated financial hardships in rural America. You can watch the Senate Agriculture Appropriations hearing here and the House Agriculture Appropriations hearing here.

Trump Administration Releases Budget Framework:

Late last Friday, President Trump released the Administration’s budgetary framework, calling on Congress to cut non-defense programs by more than $163 billion while leaving defense programs relatively untouched. This FY26 spending framework furthers the Administration's goal to prioritize government efficiency and cut wasteful spending by making major cuts to many agency funds. In particular, this budget would bring $4.5 billion in cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Additionally, it proposes $500 million in support of the “Make America Healthy Again Movement”, which plans to operate in place of the current Commodity Supplemental Food Program. While the President does weigh in on budget-related decisions, Congress still holds the “power of the purse.” This means that while the Administration has made their initiatives known, members of Congress still have ultimate decision-making power in any upcoming budget decisions. You can find more details on the President’s simplified budget here.

Thousands of USDA Employees Resign:

Recently, it was reported that at least 15,000 USDA employees have resigned as part of the Trump Administration’s deferred resignation program (DRP). Roughly 800 USDA employees signed up for the program during the first DRP in January, while the recent program push received 11,305 resignations. The program allows employees to quit and be paid through September 2025, which has helped the Administration cut USDA’s workforce down by 15%. Of these resignations, 555 are employees at the Food Safety and Inspection Service, over 1,000 from Farm Service Agency county offices, 4,000 employees from the U.S. Forest Service, 1,300 from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 1,255 employees at the Agricultural Research Service, 78 employees from the Economic Research Service, 54 employees from the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, and 243 employees from the National Agricultural Statistics Service will resign. This is part of a larger initiative by the Trump Administration that aims to eliminate 30,000 jobs within the agency.