{"id":95386,"date":"2025-03-26T13:12:11","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T17:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vps70863.inmotionhosting.com\/~nationalgrange\/?p=95386"},"modified":"2025-03-26T13:15:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T17:15:57","slug":"policy-updates-and-issue-news-march-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vps70863.inmotionhosting.com\/~nationalgrange\/policy-updates-and-issue-news-march-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Policy Updates and Issue News March 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/h3>\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Agriculture and Food<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Corporate Transparency Act paused by Treasury Department<\/h3>\n

The National Grange joined 65 small business groups to thank Treasury Secretary Bessert for suspending enforcement of business ownership disclosure requirements for domestic businesses. The new rule, implemented last year, was intended to catch foreign money-laundering schemes masquerading as U.S. businesses. But the way the Treasury wrote the rule, it required all businesses to comply, even small farms, ranches and business that had been American owned and operated for decades. Many of these reported spending thousands of dollars in attorney fees just to register for the process. Treasury said it would develop a new rule to restrict reporting requirements to foreign entities only.<\/p>\n

USDA releases market, disaster, and conservation aid<\/h3>\n

Secretary Brooke Rollins has released the $10 billion in market relief for row crop producers that was authorized by Congress in December. Congress also authorized $21 billion in disaster aid will also be released. In addition, the department is releasing conservation program payments for the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQUIP), Conservation Security Program (CSP) and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).<\/p>\n

Improper payments in SNAP and farm programs<\/h3>\n

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) says the USDFA is one of 16 federal departments and agencies that reports improper payments totaling $162 billion in fiscal 2024, including $10.5 billion in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Significant improper payments were also found in farm commodities and conservation programs.<\/p>\n

More rural veterinarians needed<\/h3>\n

The National Grange joined the American Veterinary Medical Association in supporting the bipartisan, bicameral Rural Veterinary Workforce Act introduced by Senators Crapo (R-ID) and Smith (D-MN) and Representatives Smith (R-NE-3) and Larson (D-CT-1). This bill would bolster funding to USDA\u2019s Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program and add incentives for rural communities to gain access to the veterinarians they need to ensure animal health and welfare, food safety, prevent disease and maintain public health.<\/p>\n

USDA pulls food some bank funding<\/h3>\n

At least $500 million destined for food banks nationwide has been suspended. The administration argued that the previous administration had created unsustainable expectations for supplementing the Emergency Food Assistance Program through the department\u2019s Commodity Credit Corporation spending authority. The department will continue to purchase food for the program through appropriated funds and Section 32 (surplus commodities) purchases. \u00a0\u00a0However, USDA did terminate the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program that provided locally grown foods to food pantries and schools. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hunger has ticked up in recent years with rising inflation and the end of pandemic-era emergency feeding programs.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Conservation and Environment
\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

WOTUS to be revised<\/h3>\n

EPS Administrator Lee Zeldin says his agency and the Army Corps of Engineers will begin the work of coming up with a new rule to define to define Waters of the United States. Bodies of water that fall under the WOTUS definition are subject to federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. Previous administrations, including those of Obama, Trump\u2019s first and Biden, have all tried to craft rules that would stand the test of time, but all attempts at doing so have been met with lawsuits. WOTUS is now defined one way in 24 states and another way in the remaining 26 as a result of these lawsuits.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Health Care<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Rural advocates push to restore Medicare telehealth<\/h3>\n

The National Grange, rural lawmakers and other rural advocates have been pushing to give Medicare a two-year extension on its flexibility to provide telehealth services, including mental health, to its patients. Congress gave Medicare the flexibility to provide telehealth services during the COVID-19 public health emergency, but that flexibility was set to expire March 31. Authority for some Medicare telehealth visits to use audio-only technology was also set to expire. There was bipartisan and bicameral support for a two-year extension, and it was included in the Continuing Resolution Congress passed March 14.<\/p>\n

Seniors need access to pharmacist services<\/h3>\n

The National Grange and senior\u2019s patient advocates are urging the leadership of the House and Senate to support the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act. The legislation would provide payment for essential pharmacist services under Medicare Part B. Operating within state scope of practice laws, the legislation would ensure seniors can access essential testing, treatment and vaccination services at the pharmacy. For seniors living in rural areas, the pharmacy is often the first and only stop they make for critical health services. Rural Medicare patients visit their community pharmacist fourteen times per year, compared to just five times to their primary care physician.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Telecommunication
\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Supreme Court to rule on rural communications subsidy<\/h3>\n

The Supreme Court is set to rule on the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund. The USF is a user-fee based support program that subsidizes broadband and telephone services in high-cost (typically rural) areas for low-income households, schools and libraries. It is funded through assessments from telecommunications providers based on a percentage of their interstate voice service revenues. An advocacy group, Consumer\u2019s Research, filed lawsuits in several courts with the Fifth Circuit finding the USF unconstitutional. If SCOTUS also finds the USF unconstitutional, Congress will need to find a funding solution, or millions of citizens will lose service if they live in areas served by USF.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Agriculture and Food Corporate Transparency Act paused by Treasury Department The National Grange joined 65 small business groups to thank Treasury Secretary Bessert for suspending enforcement of business ownership disclosure requirements for domestic businesses. The new rule, implemented last year, was intended to catch foreign money-laundering schemes masquerading as U.S. businesses. But the way the … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News March 2025”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-policy-updatesnews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nPolicy Updates and Issue News March 2025 - The National Grange<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/vps70863.inmotionhosting.com\/~nationalgrange\/policy-updates-and-issue-news-march-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Policy Updates and Issue News March 2025 - The National Grange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Agriculture and Food Corporate Transparency Act paused by Treasury Department The National Grange joined 65 small business groups to thank Treasury Secretary Bessert for suspending enforcement of business ownership disclosure requirements for domestic businesses. 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