Does not matter: Aggies start looking to 2021 agenda — House Agriculture Chair to hear from Black farmers

Dec 14, 2020

With help from Ximena Bustillo

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DRIVING THE WEEK

ENDGAME: Congress is sticking around for another week as leaders try to clinch a last-minute agreement on government funding and coronavirus relief. Once again, they're facing a Friday deadline to pass either a final package or another short-term stopgap bill.

What's new: The bipartisan working group of rank-and-file lawmakers behind a $908 billion pandemic response plan is aiming to introduce a two-part legislative package as soon as today. The two-pronged approach is meant to isolate the most controversial provisions, like money for local governments and liability protections for businesses. But it's unclear whether House and Senate leaders will go for that idea.

FAST-FORWARD: While the current crop of lawmakers and White House officials wrap up their work, much of agricultural policy world's attention is already turning to 2021 — especially now that President-elect Joe Biden has formally announced Tom Vilsack as his pick for Agriculture secretary.

The rollout: At an event in Delaware on Friday, Biden said Vilsack "wasn't anxious to come back" to the job that he held for eight years in the Obama administration, Pro Ag's Helena Bottemiller Evich and Liz Crampton report. "He wasn't looking for this job, but I was persistent," Biden said. "I asked him to serve again in this role because he knows USDA inside and out."

Vilsack laid out his top priorities for the Agriculture Department next year: Pandemic relief for hungry families, rural communities, food workers and agriculture producers is at the top of the list. Next up is confronting climate change. Biden has said he wants U.S. agriculture to be the first to reach net-zero emissions, and he reiterated Friday that he supports paying farmers for climate-friendly practices like capturing carbon in their fields and forests.

Notably, Vilsack also promised to "continue the important work of rooting out inequities and systemic racism in the systems we govern and the programs we lead." The former USDA chief has been criticized by Black farmers and civil rights advocates for not doing enough during his eight years as secretary to combat decades of discrimination within the department.

Criticism from the left: While Biden's choice of Vilsack has been largely praised by farm organizations and commodity groups, the pick has also drawn plenty of blowback from environmental advocates and progressive groups within agriculture. (More on that from Grist.org and The Intercept.)

Trade forecast: At the same event, Biden also introduced his nominee for U.S. trade representative, Katherine Tai. Our Pro Trade colleagues have more for Pros on Tai's public debut as the next top trade negotiator.

HAPPY MONDAY, DEC. 14! Welcome to your Weekly Agriculture report, where we're breaking out the snow gear. Send tips to rmccrimmon@politico.com and @ryanmccrimmon, and follow us @Morning_Ag.

BIG SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: In the runup to Inauguration Day, president-elect Joe Biden's staffing decisions are sending clear-cut signals about his priorities. What do these signals foretell? Transition Playbook is the definitive guide to one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter is breaking big news and analyzing the appointments, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming administration. Subscribe today.

Looking Ahead

HOUSE AGRICULTURE CHAIR TO FOCUS ON BLACK FARMERS IN 2021: Soon-to-be House Agriculture Chair David Scott (D-Ga.), the first Black lawmaker to hold the Agricultural gavel, says his No. 1 priority for the panel is bringing justice to farmers of color who have long faced discrimination within the industry and in trying to access USDA farm programs.

"There is a new sheriff in town," Scott said during a webinar hosted by the Southern Economic Advancement Project and the Black Belt Justice Center. "We are going to be at the point of the spear for our Black farmers."

He also announced plans to hold a first-ever full committee hearing on the status of Black farmers, including testimony from producers, USDA officials and credit experts, among others. "As chairman, I can assure you that our Agriculture Committee will provide leadership in eliminating racial injustice and discrimination in our agriculture industry," Scott added.

DataPoint

DEEP DIVE ON FARM PAYMENTS: One of the immediate farm policy decisions Biden will have to make is whether to continue or curb the massive agricultural aid programs that have ballooned under President Donald Trump. The direct payments have soared to record levels this year, and a likely drop-off could prove painful for agricultural producers in 2021, depending on the state of the farm economy. Check out the latest POLITICO Pro Analysis on farm subsidies from your host and Pro DataPoint's Patterson Clark, including what's ahead and which power players to watch next year.

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Trade Corner

EYES ON THE EU: House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) wants Biden to rekindle U.S.-EU trade talks next year, after the Trump administration's negotiations with Brussels fell apart. "Our partners across the Atlantic have shown a willingness to embark on a new, substantial trade relationship with the U.S., and we should embrace this opportunity," Neal said on Friday.

The chairman's comments are notable not only because Ways and Means will have jurisdiction over the new president's trade agenda, but also because Tai (Biden's USTR pick) currently works for Neal as a trade lawyer, writes Pro Trade's Doug Palmer.

Rep. Richard Neal wears a mask in front of the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington.

Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo

Row Crops

— The Senate on Friday passed a bipartisan bill to give farmers and foresters a seat on the FAA's drone policy committee, as drones become more common in agricultural operations. A separate measure from Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) aimed at confronting the mental health crisis among farmers was also passed as part of a major defense authorization package.

— Iowa Democrats this weekend published an audit of their disastrous 2020 presidential caucuses in February, which were rife with technological and procedural failures that caused lengthy delays and widespread confusion about the results. The audit primarily faulted national Democrats for interfering in state preparations just a few weeks before the caucus, POLITICO's Tyler Pager reports.

— Chicken producer Perdue Farms is asking the CDC to coordinate state policies on distributing Covid-19 vaccines to avoid a patchwork approach for determining which industries and workers are treated first. Companies and labor advocates have called for prioritizing food and agricultural workers for vaccines, after health care employees and others on the front line. Reuters has more.

— Education groups are asking Congress to provide $12 billion in the bipartisan coronavirus relief plan to help students connect to virtual classes. The proposal so far includes about $3 billion for a "connectivity fund," aimed especially at high-need rural areas, but advocates say that's just a fraction of what's needed. Pro Education's Juan Perez Jr. has the details.

— Trump's farm relief payments over the last two years will push the U.S. over WTO limits on government support for agriculture, according to a new paper by Joseph Glauber, senior fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute and a former USDA chief economist. Read the study here.

— New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is shutting down indoor dining in New York City starting today, as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations spike in the city and around the country. Outdoor dining and takeout are still allowed, reports POLITICO New York's Anna Gronewold.

THAT'S ALL FOR MA! Drop us a line: rmccrimmon@politico.com; hbottemiller@politico.com; lcrampton@politico.com; jyearwood@politico.com and pjoshi@politico.com.