OUR PERSPECTIVES

On October 13, a federal judge ordered USDA to halt office closures and reorganization relocations. The order covers the Agricultural Research Service, Forest Service, Food and Nutrition Administration, Research, Education and Economics, Foreign Agricultural Service, Rural Development, Farm Production and Conservation, as well as the Office of the General Counsel and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, where thousands of employees had already received relocati

Permitting reform has once again become a central issue in Washington, as policymakers confront rising electricity demand, infrastructure constraints, and the need to build projects that support economic growth. The introduction of the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 offers another opportunity to address long-standing permitting challenges. But the details matter: meaningful reform must consider not only how quickly projects are approved, but also how

This is an election about affordability, and energy prices are playing a pivotal role on the campaign trail. Energy policy in DC has been a climate debate, a jobs debate, a national security debate, and now it’s squarely an affordability debate. What’s changed? Cheap, predictable power was a big part of energy flying below the radar over the last decade. Ample natural gas, expanded renewable energy, and efficiency gains paired with permitting hurdles meant that utilities were

As the Senate leaves DC, Congress is officially gone until after the elections. The House and Senate are leaving behind a to-do list that is long even by lame duck standards. The halls of the congressional buildings might be quiet this month, but for those pushing for lame duck priorities, there is a lot to do before Congress returns in November. Here are a few areas to engage: Appropriations: The government is funded through December 11 under a continuing resolution, which m

We are just about a month away from an election and a couple of months away from a new Congress - now is the time to plan. You have spent all this time working on an issue in the 119th Congress, and now you are facing a new Congress, maybe a new majority, and many new policymakers. Should you start from scratch, start over, or something in between? Regardless of the election’s outcome, next year will be vastly different than this year. First of all, the 120th Congress w

After years of extensions and stalled negotiations, Congress has finally moved both chambers’ farm bill proposals through their respective Agriculture Committees. The next phase will be defined less by drafting a new bill than by resolving the significant differences between the House and Senate approaches. The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced the Agricultural Act of 2026, or “Farm Bill 2.0,” on September 16 by a 12-11 party-line vote. The action followed an August marku

Yesterday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted unanimously to advance a bill that would make it easier for states to conduct prescribed fire. It’s a pragmatic and finely scoped bill. While traditional DC advice is that opening up the Clean Air Act is untouchable, this bill proved otherwise. Even in an era of heightened politics, all committee members saw value in the bill moving forward. The bill – the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act (WEPA) – would clear

This week, the U.S. and Venezuela announced an oil deal, President Trump moved to rename Lake Ontario, and Congress returned focused on advancing a continuing resolution before the funding deadline. Check it out in today's BG3! Click the image below to download a full PDF version of the document.

Trade policy has been elevated under the Trump Administration as the President has used tariffs as a key part of his economic policy. The big questions here are (1) how much elasticity trading partners have to handle current tariffs and (2) whether the White House will bring together a solution that will help bring the current U.S. - Mexico trade war to an end (bringing a close to a breakdown in negotiations around cross-border tariffs. Canada is the second largest trading

When Congress returns in September, they will have a full plate of issues that must be worked on before the end of the fiscal year on September 30. As is tradition during an election year, Congress will likely vote on what needs to get done immediately (the CR and a few other bills) and head home for all of October to campaign. That means that, besides the CR, there is unlikely to be much movement on must-pass bills until the lame duck. Last year, the omnibus package extended

Earlier this year, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a proposed rule that would change how the federal government distributes and administers every federal grant, cooperative agreement, and pass-through award. The “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance” proposed rule is the largest overhaul since the guidance was first published in 2013. With over 496,000 comments – nearly 99% opposed to the proposed rule – stakeholders are watching to see how Congress

We are officially at the point where candidates have finalized their carefully scripted campaign-trail speeches and are actively talking to voters about key issues. While those issues change every year, here is a short list of issues that seem to be elevated this year on the campaign trail: Affordability: No surprise here, but affordability is a topic many candidates will be hearing about. From groceries to gas prices, polling shows voters are concerned and want to see more

Check out this week's #AppropriationsUpdate for details on the House's reception of the Senate's continuing resolution and the outlook for reconciliation 3.0. Click here or the image below to download a PDF of the full document.

During the last week of August, Brumidi Group will kick off our weekly 2026 election coverage, providing the latest polling and analysis through the election in early November. In the meantime, here are three types of polls to monitor that can help give some early indications of where the election stands (though it’s important to remember, it’s still early). Generic Congressional Poll: This poll provides a good understanding of where the general mood is on congressional e

The Farm Bill and the surface transportation bill will hit the same wall on September 30, 2026, when current authorizations for entire departments expire. Neither is likely to be replaced by a comprehensive reauthorization before that date. And no one is surprised. We’re entering the fourth year of the Farm Bill extension, a massive bill that authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the surface transportation reauthorization, a bill to authorize the U.S. Department

After years of delays and one-year authorization extensions, Congress may finally be preparing to advance a long-overdue farm bill. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) has indicated that the committee will mark up its farm bill next week - with or without the participation of committee member Mitch McConnell (R-KY). While the announcement signals growing momentum, significant hurdles remain before a final package can reach the president's desk. Boozman's

The last 100 days before an election are often more symbolic than informative, but they are useful for considering where things stand as policymakers head home for a month of campaigning and late primaries begin to wrap up. Here is what to watch: A Busy Campaign Trail: Incumbent candidates will use the entire months of August and October to get out on the campaign trail and make their case to voters, which means they will only be in DC for one more month (September) before

If you work on forestry issues, there are a lot of moving policy pieces right now. Between appropriations, the Farm Bill, and ongoing USDA regulations, it’s easy to miss some of the forestry policies that could have legs this Congress or next. Below are the five forestry policies you should keep an eye on this year. (1) Fix Our Forests Act is still in play. The Senate sponsors (Senators Padilla (D-CA), Sheehy (R-MT), Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Curtis (R-UT)) pushed to include F

August recess is a time to regroup, get out of town, and reset going into a busy fall. This year, with the August recess stretching to roughly six weeks long, it’s a good time to think about how you make an impact when Members of Congress and staff get out of town. Here are a few things to be thinking about going into a long August recess: Develop a lame duck plan. Whether it’s reconciliation 3.0/4.0 or must-pass legislation, August recess is a good time to put together an o

There is no question that many bills currently sidelined could find hope after the 2026 midterm elections during the “lame duck” session of Congress. Hopes to pass legislation before November could happen episodically, but the closer the election is on the horizon, the less likely Republicans and Democrats will be willing to work together to pass legislation (which h we are already seeing). Here are five ways to prepare for a busy “lame duck” session of Congress: (1) Prepa