Congress recently passed COVID-19-relief legislation that includes significant resources to help USDA provide nutritious food to families in need through the remainder of the pandemic. This has resulted in the creation of new food distribution programs, as well as changes to existing ones.

With a new administration and Congress now in place, policymakers at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are beginning to focus on policy issues important to the dairy industry.

As the federal government's fiscal year draws to a close, Congress is still trying to pass legislation to fund federal agencies after Sept. 30, including those that administer programs that are vital to the dairy industry.

After three years of negotiations, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will take effect on July 1. The U.S. dairy industry achieved its top two goals for USMCA, preserving our trade relationships in Mexico, our top export market, and reducing Canadian barriers to imported U.S. dairy products.

By anyone's measure, the impeachment process now unfolding in the U.S. Congress is making it more difficult to achieve legislative victories, even on issues that have support from both political parties.

This fall, Congress will consider legislation to reauthorize federal child nutrition programs, including the school meals programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.

Members of Congress will soon be asked to vote on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Swift ratification of this trade agreement by the House of Representatives and the Senate is critical to the future of the U.S. dairy industry.

The new Congress that convened in January will have implications for federal dairy policy. Republicans maintain control of the Senate, but Democrats are now in charge of the House of Representatives, which will likely lead to greater oversight of the Trump administration, including the USDA. Moreover, with more than 100 new representatives and senators now seated, we must ensure that Congress understands and appreciates dairy’s unique nutritional benefits.