Policy Updates and Issue News April 2025
Agriculture and Food
Support to restrict junk food SNAP purchases
A federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program shopper can pretty much shop anywhere in the grocery store. That wide latitude could change. Attempts to eliminate junk food from SNAP coverage could gain traction under HHS Secretary Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again agenda. The USDA oversees SNAP and would have to grant states special waivers to eliminate junk foods (soft drinks, candy, ice cream, and prepared desserts) from the assistance program, something it has refused in the past. But Agriculture Secretary Rollins appears open to the idea. At least sixteen states have proposed bills to restrict junk food from SNAP. Current SNAP purchase restrictions also include alcohol, medicine, vitamins, tobacco, and hot pre-prepared food.
White House proposes USDA office closures
The fiscal 2026 budget plan from the White House proposes to reduce staffing levels at the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service and to consolidate local, county-based offices around the country that would service FSA, NRCS, and Rural Development. However, the 2018 farm bill includes language that USDA must notify Congress before closing any FSA office and provide justification for the closure. Congress has traditionally frowned upon USDA office closures, particularly local FSA offices. Meanwhile, it is rumored that thousands of USDA employees are planning to leave the department through a deferred resignation program that closed mid-April.
Secretary Rollins modifies climate smart initiative
The USDA is canceling the $3.1 billion Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program, but will allow projects to continue if they can show that a significant amount of the federal funds awarded will go to farmers. The original climate smart program covered 130 projects and the amount of federal funds used for producer incentives varied project-to-project. The program has been renamed Advancing Markets for Producers Initiative, and payments must adhere to these guidelines:
- A minimum of 65% of federal funds must go to producers
- Grant recipients must have enrolled at least one producer as of December 31, 2024
- Grantees must have made a payment to at least one producer as of December 31, 2024
USDA releases disaster funds
The Department of Agriculture is making $340 million available for disaster assistance to farmers, ranchers, and rural communities impacted by natural disasters. The USDA Disaster Assistance Fund will provide relief directly to rural families, agricultural producers, and small businesses to repair homes, businesses, infrastructure, and critical services in communities hit hardest by disasters.
Ag Workforce
Farmers may get a break on deportations
At a recent Cabinet meeting, President Trump indicated the administration was working on a plan for illegal immigrant farm workers to leave the country and return with legal status through a process yet to be determined. Details are sketchy at this point, but by providing a pathway to legal status, the process could signal a major policy shift and provide agricultural employers with some assurance they will have a workforce.
Health Care
Grange supports farmers’ and ranchers’ mental health
The National Grange joined the National Farmers Union, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, and numerous other agriculture groups to support full funding for the Farmers and Ranchers Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) at USDA as Congress considers FY 2026 appropriations for USDA. In a letter to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Appropriations Agriculture subcommittees, the group noted FRSAN’s success and popularity and requested full funding at the program’s authorized $10 million level. FRSAN supports a service provider network that connects individuals and their families engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations to stress assistance programs and resources. Four regional FRSAN centers have increased access to farm stress services by coordinating efforts to serve the unique needs of the populations in each region.
Grange files comments on immunization
In a filing with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the Centers for Disease Control, the National Grange recommended the advisory committee approve.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine for high-risk adults age 50 and over. The filing noted the disparities in rural populations compared to urban populations which include:
- Significant scarcity of health providers
- Less insurance coverage
- Significant hospital closures
- Higher rates of serious disease
The advisory committee subsequently approved RSV vaccine for high-risk adults age 50 and older.
Rural health depends on Medicaid
Nearly 40% of children living in rural communities and almost 20% of non-elderly adults are covered by Medicaid. Cuts to Medicaid coverage would be devastating for rural families, according to the National Rural Health Association. Reducing Medicaid funding will result in higher rates of uninsurance across the country, with a higher impact on the most vulnerable rural areas. Rural hospitals and clinics are not sustainable without this critical funding. The National Grange is a member of the Medicaid coalition that is urging Congress to act in a unified, bipartisan manner to sustain Medicaid funding for rural families and their health care providers.
Expand coverage of obesity treatments
The National Grange partnered with the Obesity Action Coalition and the Obesity Care Advocacy Network to urge the Trump administration to finalize a proposed rule that would expand coverage of obesity medications for Medicare beneficiaries. Individuals struggling with obesity should have access to effective medical treatment because of their higher risks for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
Telecommunication
Rip and replace Chinese gear from rural networks
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is moving ahead to swiftly finish their removal, replacement, and disposal of Huawei and ZTE telecommunications equipment. The initiative reimburses smaller providers for the cost of sweeping the Chinese equipment from their systems.
Trade
Senators want trade oversight
The bipartisan Trade Review Act of 2025 has been introduced by Senators Klobuchar (D-MN), Cantwell (D-WA), Warner (D-VA), Bennett (D-CO), Welch (D-VT), Grassley (R-IA), Moran (R-KS), Murkowski (R-AK), McConnell (R-KY), and Tillis (R-NC). The Act reaffirms Congress’s authority over tariffs as granted in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution by placing limits on presidential tariff actions:
- The president must notify Congress within 48 hours of imposing a tariff on imported goods
- Any new tariff will expire after 60 days unless Congress passes a joint resolution of approval
- Congress may terminate and imposed tariffs any time through a joint resolution of disapproval
Of Interest
Funding for rural forest schools
Schools and communities surrounded by National Forest must rely on the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Act, a federal program that allocates money to counties that overlap National Forest land. Because public land cannot be taxed for local interests, the SRS program offsets this loss of local revenues by allocating federal funds to support essential infrastructure like roads and schools. The law was up for reauthorization in 2024 but died last December without a vote in the House after the Senate voted unanimously to approve it. Congress failed to include the legislation in March’s spending package, raising concerns about a major lapse in funding. The National Grange has long supported the rural schools and communities initiative and will continue to push for the timely reauthorization of the program.
Perspective
“Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” ~ Ronald Reagan
“Good government is no substitute for self-government.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“The history of liberty is the history on the limitations on the power of the government.” ~ Woodrow Wilson
“In the final analysis, a democratic government represents the sum total of the courage and the integrity of its individuals. It cannot be better than they are.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt