Does not matter: Scott’s climate, equity vision for House Ag — More changes up the ag policy food chain

Feb 16, 2021

Presented by Chobani Child Hunger Summit

With help from Michael Grunwald

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Quick Fix

— In his first weeks as House Agriculture chair, David Scott is plotting a new course for the panel on emerging issues like climate-friendly farming and racial equity in ag. The Georgia Democrat laid out his priorities for food insecurity, rural broadband and more in a Q&A with POLITICO.

— He's not the only new ag powerbroker in Congress: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) will oversee funding for food, farm and rural programs after a roster shakeup among Senate appropriators.

— A flood of startups developing meat from animal cells are attracting huge sums of money from investors, and they're hoping the Biden administration will lean into alternative proteins as a tool to combat climate change.

HAPPY TUESDAY, FEB. 16! Welcome to Morning Ag, where we hope all our MA readers are staying safe and keeping warm out there. Send tips to rmccrimmon@politico.com and @ryanmccrimmon, and follow us @Morning_Ag.

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We know the problem, we know the solution. Ending child hunger requires strengthening public policy, meaningful public-private partnerships, and hard work at every level, in every community, all across the country. The solution starts with small steps—because small steps can lead to real change and a big difference. Join us on Tuesday, February 23^rd, for Chobani's first-ever Child Hunger Summit. Register now for free.

Driving the Day

SCOTT'S THOUGHTS: The new House Ag chair is the first Black lawmaker to wield the committee gavel, taking over the top Democratic spot that former Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) had held for more than a decade. In an interview with our Liz Crampton, Scott emphasized that he plans to prioritize a crop of issues that are newly front and center.

— First things first: Scott reiterated that a hearing on climate change is at the very top of his to-do list. As for creating a so-called carbon bank at USDA, he said the hearing will help clear up questions about the department's authority to do so without legislation.

— Next up, Scott is planning a hearing with Black farmers to "address the discrimination charges that are out there." He also wants to bring in Agriculture Secretary-nominee Tom Vilsack, noting that much of the recent criticism was "laid at his foot."

— As for the pandemic response, Scott said he talked to President Joe Biden about expanding vaccine access in urban Black neighborhoods and rural communities by distributing doses through institutions that residents know and trust, like local churches and schools.

Something to watch: A trio of Black Georgians will play key roles in deciding federal farm policies for the next two years, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out here. Along with Scott, Rep. Sanford Bishop remains the top House appropriator in charge of USDA's budget; and freshman Sen. Raphael Warnock was just appointed to the Senate Agriculture Committee, where he already introduced legislation that would send pandemic relief to farmers of color.

BALDWIN TAKES THE REINS ON AG APPROPS: The Wisconsin Democrat will chair the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Agriculture Department and FDA's annual budgets, while North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven will again be the top Republican on the panel.

In a statement, Baldwin touted her experience representing a top dairy state and pledged to focus on supporting producers and rural development for "communities that too often feel they are being left behind by Washington."

More moves: Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who was previously the Ag-FDA panel's top Democrat, will instead take the gavel of the Interior-EPA subcommittee (which also controls funding for the Forest Service). Pro Budget's Jennifer Scholtes has the full rundown of the new top Senate appropriators.

VILSACK'S CONFIRMATION VOTE SET FOR NEXT WEEK: After wrapping up the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, the Senate on Saturday agreed to take up Vilsack's nomination for Agriculture secretary one week from today.

— The exact time is TBD, but the chamber plans to debate the nomination for just 20 minutes before taking a vote.

— It should continue to be smooth sailing for Vilsack, who breezed through his confirmation hearing and was promptly approved by the Senate Ag panel on a voice vote.

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MONEY POURING INTO CELL-BASED MEATS: Investments in cell-grown meat development grew sixfold in 2020, our friends at POLITICO's The Long Game tell MA. (Scrutiny is growing, too, as the technology increasingly finds its way onto regulators' plates.)

There are about 70 cell-based meat startups around the world today, up from just four in 2015, according to the Good Food Institute, a non-profit advocate for alternatives to animal agriculture.

But unlike plant-based meats — which are sold at virtually every U.S. supermarket and fast-food joint — meat grown from animal cells can be purchased at only one establishment on the planet: a private club in Singapore called 1880, where diners can order a Chinese-American entree with four lab-grown chicken nuggets for $23.

Where does Washington come in? The burgeoning industry wants the Biden administration to boost alternative proteins as part of its fight against climate change, helping to curb negative trends like deforestation and overuse of antibiotics driven by traditional meat production. Congress could fund research to help drive down costs and Biden could lean on the FDA and USDA to accelerate regulatory approvals.

Trade Corner

MEET THE NEW WTO CHIEF: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first African and the first woman to lead the World Trade Organization, faces the difficult task of righting the WTO ship after years of waning influence — and amid a tumultuous stretch for global trade, following the Trump administration's trade battles and coronavirus-related disruptions.

Quick take: The new director-general was previously Nigeria's finance minister, and she's also a U.S. dual citizen. As a relative newcomer to the trade world, Okonjo-Iweala could bring a fresh perspective to issues that have vexed negotiators for years, write POLITICO's Doug Palmer and Sarah Anne Aarup.

— Her selection is also a signal of Africa's rising influence in global economics. (The continent could also be a major growth area for U.S. farm exports, as Vilsack noted at his confirmation hearing earlier this month.)

Tough to-do list: The clock is now ticking for Okonjo-Iweala to deliver results on a long-sought global fisheries agreement. But the most daunting question she faces is whether the U.S. violated WTO rules when the previous administration unilaterally imposed steel and aluminum tariffs in 2018, citing national security concerns.

Row Crops

— Democrats' reliance on the budget reconciliation process to pass their $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package could come at a steep cost for other spending programs, including certain farm subsidies, unless lawmakers take action to head off billion-dollar budget cuts required by "pay-as-you-go" rules. Pro Budget's Caitlin Emma has the details.

— Impossible Foods enlisted new board member Christiana Figueres to help grow the company's footprint in Europe and beyond. Figueres, the former U.N. climate chief who helped deliver the 2015 Paris Agreement, said her new role with the plant-based meat maker is an extension of her mission to curb greenhouse gas emissions, writes POLITICO's Arthur Neslen.

— Since the U.K. left the EU, British businesses and farmers are facing new trade barriers as they try to deliver goods to the continent. One ag exporter had to incinerate 53 tons of pork that rotted in rejected shipping containers because of incorrect customs paperwork, for example. The New York Times has the story.

— Biden's plan to make farmers and ranchers a key piece of his climate change response comes with a big political risk, and there's scrutiny about how beneficial a so-called carbon bank would be for the environment. But enlisting agriculture could still be his best bet to move the needle, Modern Farmer writes.

— The World Health Organization is now warning that the coronavirus could potentially spread via frozen food packaging, though it's considered rare and more studies are needed. NPR's Goats and Soda explains.

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.

A message from Chobani:

The fight for food security starts with action.

As a result of the pandemic, one in every four kids in the United States may not know where they will get their next meal.

We believe food is a right—not a privilege. We believe ending child hunger isn't a choice, it's a responsibility. We demand a future without child hunger.

Join us on Tuesday, February 23^rd,for Chobani's first-ever Child Hunger Summit.
Panelists include experts from Feeding America, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), Save the Children, the School Nutrition Association (SNA), Oxfam America, the NAACP, UnidosUS, and the Notah Begay III Foundation, and more.

Register now for free.