President Trump Signals Farm Workforce Action as House Members Elevate Issue

President Donald Trump indicated twice yesterday, first in a social media post and later when speaking to reporters, that his administration would soon take action to provide farmers and hospitality employers with greater certainty for their current workforce. This announcement follows the President’s previous remarks at an April 10 cabinet meeting and comes on the heels of several recent enforcement actions that have disrupted work on dairy farms. Given the important role highly skilled foreign-born workers play in the success of family dairy operations nationwide, NMPF welcomes the prospect of some measure of stabilization.

 On Wednesday, numerous House Agriculture Committee members from both parties raised farm labor matters with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins during her appearance before the committee. Chairman GT Thompson, R-PA, led the way by underscoring the need to resolve immediate workforce concerns while longer-term legislation is developed.

Secretary Rollins responded that she continues to work closely with Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer on solutions to meet the needs of dairy farmers and other producers. Several other members gave voice to this priority, including a strong message from Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-SD, directly following his visit with the NMPF Board of Directors, who conveyed to Thompson the need for urgent action to ensure the dairy sector’s overall viability.

NMPF will work closely with the Trump Administration and members of Congress as work continues to flesh out solutions in the coming weeks.

Senate Releases Its Version of Ag Policy Reconciliation Bill

The Senate put some meat on the bones this week of the “big, beautiful bill” when it comes to future agriculture policy. Senate Republicans on Wednesday revealed the details of the ag portion of their reconciliation bill, which is similar in many respects to the House version that was passed by one vote last month. Like the House bill, the Senate version will trim Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program spending, but with $211 billion in proposed SNAP cuts, it reduces the size of the budgetary impact by $80 billion compared to the House.

Where the Dairy Margin Coverage program is concerned, the Senate version is identical; it extends the DMC through 2031 and continues the 25% discount option for producers who lock in their coverage. It also updates the program’s production history calculation to be based on a farmer’s highest year of milk production from 2021, 2022, and 2023, and it increases the Tier 1 premium rate limit from five million to six million pounds. The Senate bill also includes $9 million for USDA to conduct plant manufacturing cost surveys, and provides funding for trade promotion, conservation, research, and animal health programs.

The Senate Parliamentarian is expected to review this package next week to determine if its components comply with the chamber’s strict budget reconciliation rules. The Senate is aiming to vote on the entire measure by July 4, and it remains to be seen whether the House will simply adopt the Senate-passed measure or seek changes.

NMPF Meets with MAHA Commission Rep
It’s not an understatement to say that the recently released MAHA Commission report has rankled many in the farm community, prompting the Trump Administration to reach out to

lawmakers as well as industry stakeholders to have a frank dialogue about whether the report’s recommendations are problematic for farm country.

First off, key farm-state Republican senators met with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and top adviser Calley Means Tuesday to air concerns about the Make America Healthy Again report. And then on Wednesday, I was invited to participate in a farm tour in southern Maryland where Means toured a diversified corn operation, receiving a hands-on understanding of the importance of crop protection chemicals and similar tools in helping produce a safe and affordable food supply.

Trump farm policy advisor Kip Tom and I spent most of the afternoon with Means, clarifying for him, among other things, the role of ag groups like NMPF in representing diverse farmer voices; the importance of farm programs as well as nutrition programs like SNAP; and the need for high-protein foods like milk and meat in children’s diets. We agreed to continue our dialogue as the MAHA process plays out.

In a related development, at her previously-referenced appearance before the House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins acknowledged that the MAHA report last month did not please many in agriculture, and she indicated that when the Department of Health and Human Services generates recommendations based on the report, she will “do everything I can to ensure that our ag community is better represented,” Rollins said.