FIRST IN MA: BOOKER TO ANNOUNCE MEATPACKING, PESTICIDE BILLS: Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a Senate Agriculture Committee member, is expected to announce two new bills today aimed at increasing protections for meatpacking plant workers and banning three forms of pesticides. "As we sit down with family and friends this Thanksgiving, let it also be a day of gratitude for the workers who have worked tirelessly to ensure we have food on our tables," Booker said in a statement to your host. "Unfortunately, meatpacking workers, including those processing the turkeys on the plates of many Americans this week, often face exploitative and dangerous work conditions." What's in the bills: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) plans on teaming up with Booker to introduce the Protecting America's Meatpacking Workers Act, which would tighten meat processing line speed rules, increase reporting and rulemaking from the Labor Department and try to boost competition in the meat market by banning poultry tournament systems and promoting independent processors. The second measure, dubbed the Protect America's Children from Toxic Pesticides Act, would ban organophosphate insecticides, neonicotinoid insecticides and paraquat herbicides — many of which are already banned in other parts of the world, including Canada and the European Union. The pesticide bill is largely the same as a version introduced in 2020 by then-Sen. Tom Udall. However, Booker's legislation includes new language to protect farmworkers from retaliation if they speak out as whistleblowers and to expand the ability of citizens to pursue legal action if EPA doesn't fully enforce the law. The measure has already gained support from more than 50 environmental and consumer advocacy groups. What's next: Booker is expected to formally introduce the bills after Thanksgiving, but he's hoping the Biden administration will advance some proposals that don't need congressional action to be implemented. Booker is also aiming to include portions of the two measures in the next farm bill, according to his office. IT'S THE SENATE'S TURN ON DEMS' SOCIAL SPENDING BILL: House Democrats finally passed their $1.7 trillion spending package on Friday, sending the historic spending on agriculture conservation programs, debt relief, farmworker aid and climate research (among a slew of other funds) over to the Senate. Ag's CBO score: The Congressional Budget Office estimates the agriculture-related programs in the bill would increase federal spending by $76.9 billion between 2022 and 2031, reported our Meredith Lee on Friday. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the overall package provides "significant investments" to help farmers and others "deploy important conservation practices and the research essential to inform them." He added that climate-friendly agriculture practices "can lead the way" on tackling climate change by helping to capture carbon and offset greenhouse gas emissions. Some opposition: The American Farm Bureau Federation last week came out as one of the few farm groups so far to oppose the legislation. The benefits of the agriculture programs would not outweigh the bill's overall spending and "the enormously burdensome tax increases," Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall wrote in a letter to House lawmakers — even though the legislation leaves out originally proposed changes to the longstanding tax break known as "stepped-up basis" that both Republicans and Democrats argued would have hurt family farmers. What's next: Senate Democrats are expected to significantly modify the legislation in order to win the support of Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the main Democratic holdout. Congressional sources tell your host they don't expect the agriculture provisions to take much of a hit. So what's on the chopping block? The immigration-related sections still need to pass muster with the parliamentarian, who has axed Democrats' other attempts at including immigration measures in the spending package, which is restricted by Senate budget rules, reports POLITICO's Marianne LeVine. Back to you: Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said he aims to pass the legislation by Christmas. If it clears the Senate, the House will need to approve any changes in the final bill before it heads to President Joe Biden's desk. ALSO ON THE TO-DO LIST: As Marianne reports, the social spending package is not the only major legislation on the Senate's agenda. The annual defense policy bill , which includes provisions to address food insecurity among active-duty military members and their families, could take up much of the first week of December. The chamber also needs to fund the government past Dec. 3. Under that timeline, Democrats aren't expecting the Senate to take up the social spending bill until the second week of December at the earliest. | 
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