Washington Roundup – May 2026
By: Lowell Randel
USDA Announces REE Mission Area Reorganization
On April 23rd, USDA announced the restructuring of the Research, Education and Economic Mission Area. The Mission Area is home to the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Economic Research Service (ERS), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). All REE agencies will be relocating positions away from the National Capital Region (NCR). In addition, the ARS Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) has been slated for closure. The moves are part of a department-wide reorganization effort that had been previously announced by Secretary Rollins.
According to USDA, restructuring is intended to enhance focus on USDA priorities, organizational effectiveness, and operational efficiency. The new structures will be built upon the following five principles:
- Strengthening leadership accountability
- Reducing organizational complexity
- Seeking consistency across agencies
- Utilizing emerging tools
- Aligning Mission/USDA priorities.
More details on the changes to individual REE agencies can be found in the fact sheets below:
NASS Reorganization Fact Sheet
NIFA Reorganization Fact Sheet
USDA’s reorganization efforts have drawn some criticism from Congress. The movement of ERS and NIFA to Kansas City during the first Trump administration resulted in the loss of significant numbers of agency employees who chose not to relocate. Similar concerns are being raised about the current reorganization efforts. On May 14th, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) led a letter along with 23 senators expressing concerns about impacts to REE agencies and programs.
Farm Bill Passes Full House
On April 30th, the House of Representatives passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 by a final vote of 224-200. The bill received some bipartisan support with 14 Democrats joining the vast majority of Republicans in supporting passage. While the One, Big, Beautiful Bill addressed a wide variety of Farm Bill budget related provisions, it did not include updating and reauthorizing many policies and programs in the Farm Bill. Passage a new Farm Bill enable updates to policies across all 12 titles of the legislation. Some notable changes include increasing Farm Service Agency loan limits, increasing funding for trade promotion through programs such as the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program, and transferring international food assistance through the Food for Peace Act from the Department of State to the Department of Agriculture.
The House bill also includes language that would limit the ability for states to adopt policies that impact producers outside their borders, such as California’s Prop 12. Prop 12 places restrictions on farmer production practices for certain animal products intended for their state’s market. Prop 12 has been particularly challenging for the pork industry and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has been championing a legislative “fix” to be included in the Farm Bill. Such language is included in the House passed version, but the outlook for the policy is unclear in the Senate.
Senate Agriculture Chairman Boozman (R-AR) has recently indicated his desire to move the Farm Bill through the Senate Agriculture Committee by late May or early June. Given the filibuster rules in the Senate, the bill will need some Democratic support to achieve 60 votes on the Senate floor. With the mid-terms fast approaching, there are a relatively small number of legislative days to pass the Senate and complete the conference committee process prior to the election. That could set up a scenario where the Farm Bill is finalized during the “lame duck” just before the end of the year.
House Appropriations Committee Approves FY 27 Agriculture Appropriations Bill
On April 29th, the House Appropriations Committee approved its version of fiscal year 2027 agriculture appropriations along party lines by a vote of 35 to 25. The bill provides $22.5 billion for the Department of Agriculture, which is $675 million below the FY26 enacted level. Overall spending for USDA’s REE Mission Area is slightly down from FY26 levels.
- $1.795 billion is provided for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which is $2.8 million above the FY26 enacted level.
- $90.6 million for the Economic Research Service (ERS), which is equal to the FY 26 enacted level.
- $187.5 million for the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), which is equal to the FY 26 enacted level.
- $1.642 billion for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), which is $34.3 million below the FY26 enacted level.
Detailed information on specific programs can be found in the following links:
The bill now moves to the full House of Representatives with consideration potentially happening in June. The Senate has yet to schedule a mark-up of its version of the bill, but action is expected this summer.
