Government Affairs Insights on Floral

April 27, 2026

USDA Announces Update Regarding Department-Wide Reorganization Process

On April 23, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area is starting to begin the reorganization and leadership restructuring process. Agencies underneath REE umbrella include the Economic Research Service (ERS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and the Office of the Chief Scientist.

According to USDA, REE agencies will relocate certain positions currently based in the National Capital Region (NCR) to locations across the country, bringing research closer to our stakeholders. ERS and NIFA employees will be relocating some positions from the NCR to their offices in Kansas City. NASS will be relocating some positions located in the NCR, as well as some positions outside the NCR, to St. Louis or other NASS offices. NASS will also be maintaining a field presence to continue collecting information and providing vital statistical services to stakeholders. The recent announcement also affirmed that ARS will begin decommissioning the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Maryland and start relocating research programs to facilities across the country to be more aligned with regional agricultural needs. You can find more information about USDA REE’s reorganization logistics here.

CBP Launches IEEPA Tariffs Refund Portal

On April 20, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched the first phase to streamline and process refund requests for tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). This comes off the heels of the Supreme Court case, Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, in February 2026 that overturned President Trump’s initial use of IEEPA to levy global reciprocal tariffs last April, additionally ruling that $166 billion was collected by the federal government and is to be refunded back with interest. CBP developed the Consolidated Administration and Processing Entries (CAPE) functionality within the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and plans to implement CAPE though a phased development approach. In in order to request a refund, the CBP is requiring the following actions: Importers of Record and authorized Customs brokers have an established ACE Secure Data Portal account (ACE Portal account); recipients use the ACE Portal account to provide CBP with bank account information; and Importers of Record and authorized Customs brokers submit CAPE Declarations in the ACE Portal. According to CBP, approved importers and authorized brokers should anticipate valid IEEPA refunds to be generally issued within 60 - 90 days following acceptance of the CAPE Declaration, unless a compliance concern requires further CBP review. While the refund process has begun, uncertainty remains. The Administration can still appeal to the U.S. International Trade Court (ITC) on refund management until June 7, 2026. Interested stakeholder can apply for refunds using CBP’s CAPE portal here as well as more general information regarding importer refund eligibility here.

White House Releases FY27 President’s Budget Request

On April 3, the White House released the long-awaited President’s Budget Request (PBR) for fiscal year 2027 (FY27). This budget is used by the executive branch to direct congressional funding levels for federal government for the coming fiscal year. Overall, the proposed budget cuts nondefense base discretionary funding by $73 billion (10% compared to FY26 enacted levels) to $660 billion, while raising defense spending by $251 billion (28% compared to FY26 enacted levels) to $1.15 trillion. These expected allocations in FY27 would boost the overall FY27 topline for base discretionary funding to $1.829 trillion. The FY27 budget request for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) represents a decrease of 19% over FY26 enacted levels. Total discretionary funding is $20.7 billion as opposed to current funding of $27 billion. A few key highlights include:

The Farm Service Agency would face a $550 million reduction, resulting in the loss of 486 federal staff years and the elimination of 1,346 county office positions. In addition, the budget proposes substantial cuts Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation Operations by $792 million and eliminates 3,287 staff years.

Research programs would face significant reductions, including a $655 million cut to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The budget proposes eliminating Hatch Act funding, which provides formula funds to land‑grant universities. In addition, the Agricultural Research Service would be reduced by $155 million, with plans to close four locations—Boston, Massachusetts; Burlington, Vermont; Newark, Delaware; and Urbana, Illinois —while relocating most research activities to other sites.

Overall funding for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is reduced but the budget does include a $4.5 million increase for New World Screwworm.

In the wake of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shuttering, commodity organizations coordinated efforts to shift the Food for Peace program to USDA. Although USDA assumed authority from the State Department at year’s end, the budget proposal calls for the program’s elimination. The budget similarly eliminates the McGovern‑Dole program.

See the President’s Budget Request here. See USDA Budget Summary here.

Government Affairs Insights on Floral

Additional Press