Lawmakers have reached a deal on a dozen funding bills, including funding allocation for critical agriculture programs. The news is critical timing, as the current stopgap spending measure keeping the government funding expires in March, with USDA and FDA running out of cash on March 1.

Meanwhile, scrutiny has surfaced regarding using checkoff dollars in social media ads, particularly TikTok. A bipartisan bill from Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) would require mandatory audits and prohibit conflicts of interest. Checkoff groups such as the National Pork Board say targeting young consumers in culturally relevant ways is an effective strategy to promote the products and, therefore, raise consumer demand.

Read more on the latest round of federal policy updates here.