Policy Updates and Issue News December 2025
Agriculture and Food
“Bridge” payments coming to row crop farmers
The Trump administration will provide $12 billion in financial support early next year to farmers who grow row crops. The first $11 billion is scheduled to be distributed by the end of February 2026. The Farmer Bridge Assistance program payments will go to barley, chickpea, corn, lentil, oat, peanut, pea, rice, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, canola, crambe, flax, mustard, rapeseed, safflower, sesame, and sunflower growers. Payments are intended to help address market disruptions, higher input costs, inflation, and export losses. The remaining $1 billion will be awarded to specialty crop producers.
Whole milk headed back to school
By unanimous consent, the Senate approved legislation to allow whole and 2% milk to again be served with school meals. The House then passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, introduced by Ag Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson of Pennsylvania, by voice vote. The Act then headed to the White House for the President’s signature. Whole milk was barred from school meals by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Schools will also offer lactose-free fluid milk, plus a dairy-free beverage, with a note from a parent, guardian, or licensed physician specifying which dairy-free beverage should be served to the student. Dairy food companies, dairy farmers, nutritionists, physicians, and parents applauded the passage of whole milk legislation. Restoring whole milk to school meals has been a long-term priority for the National Grange.
Regenerative agriculture pilot project launched
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a $700 million initiative to help farmers adopt regenerative agriculture practices. Regenerative agriculture is a conservation management approach that emphasizes natural resources, improved soil health, water management, and natural vitality for the productivity and prosperity of the farm.
USDA to complete reorganization in 2026
The Trump administration’s plan to move more than half the current DC-based USDA staff to five regional hubs will be completed in 2026, according to Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden. The reorganization will move more than 2,000 USDA employees to regional hubs in Raleigh, NC; Kansas City, MO; Indianapolis, IN; Fort Collins, CO; and Salt Lake City, UT. The USDA has not yet made public comments on the proposal. While moving employees to the heartland will station them closer to their constituency, some farm groups and other stakeholders fear a loss of experience and expertise in the process.
Screwworm and fever tick drug gets conditional approval
The Food and Drug Administration has conditionally approved a topical solution for the prevention and treatment of New World Screwworm and fever tick in beef cattle 2 months of age and older and replacement dairy heifers less than 20 months old. The product, Exzolt Cattle-CA1, is eligible for conditional approval because it is intended to prevent and treat serious or life-threatening diseases in cattle, it addresses unmet animal health needs, and it demonstrates effectiveness in studies.
Ag Workforce / Immigration
Fewer ICE raids on farms
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent months appears to be refraining from conducting agricultural workplace raids even as it targets cities for immigrants who are in the country illegally. In addition, the government expects to issue an additional 119,000 H-2A farmworker visas for larger operations. The shifts come as Americans are concerned about the rising cost of food. The administration has also lifted tariffs on some foreign food products, including bananas, beef, coffee, and tomatoes, in an effort to lower food prices.
Health Care
Congress fails to extend health premium tax credits
The National Grange recently engaged a high-profile public media campaign to urge Congress to extend the enhanced premium tax credits program, which helps individuals and families lower the cost of health insurance purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Today, 2.8 million Marketplace enrollees live in rural counties. The Grange also joined 27 rural health groups on a letter to Senate and House leadership warning that allowing tax credits to expire would worsen existing health coverage and jeopardize access to care for entire rural communities. During the pandemic, Congress temporarily expanded these credits to make coverage more affordable for middle-income and rural households. The tax credit expires on December 31, 2025. Rural families often face higher insurance premiums and have fewer plan options. Rural hospitals and clinics already operate on thin margins, and these facilities absorb uncompensated care, which increases financial strain when more people are under- or uninsured. The Grange supported extending the credits to give Congress more time to determine the appropriate path forward for health insurance cost relief. Congress will need to return to this debate in January.
National Grange files comments with CDC advisory committee
The National Grange filed comments with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to urge the committee not to change existing vaccine schedules and to make future decision-making on sound, high-standard science. The committee subsequently made several controversial changes to its childhood vaccination recommendations, sparking backlash from the medical community.
Telecommunications
Broadband permitting bills move
The House Communications and Technology Subcommittee has cleared legislation to make it easier for broadband providers to cross railroad lines, set shot clocks on local and state permit processing, limit fees on state and local permitting agencies, and exempt certain projects from environmental and historical reviews. The adopted bills would give state and local permitting agencies 90 days to approve or deny requests for new construction. Expedited permitting for broadband deployment is a priority for the National Grange.
Trade
U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement hearing
The USMCA trade agreement was the subject of a three-day trade hearing in Washington recently. It focused on the winners and losers in American agriculture because of the agreement. Winners appeared to be U.S. grains, beef, pork, poultry, and dairy. Losers appear to be fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, and tomatoes. A bipartisan group of more than 100 House lawmakers argued that the UCMCA has benefitted U.S. agriculture exports and warned against weakening the deal as part of a forthcoming review.
Of Interest
Congress clears Secure Rural Schools Act
Both the Senate and House have passed a long-awaited bill that provides funding to keep certain rural schools and communities up and running. Counties around the country with a majority of federal forest land base do not have the ability to levy taxes on federal lands. Therefore, these jurisdictions face a challenge in adequately funding schools, infrastructure, Sheriff's offices, and more. Federal funding helps mitigate the loss of the federal land tax base in these areas.
Perspectives
“Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” ~ Ronald Reagan
“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
“Courage is the price that life extracts for granting peace.” ~ Amelia Earhart
“Peace is a weekly, a monthly process gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.” ~ John F. Kennedy