The Hardwood Federation produces a “D.C. Cheat Sheet” newsletter to keep the industry up-to-date on the latest news from Washington D.C. Check out the July 10th edition below and sign up to receive your copy.
Trade Deadline Delayed: On July 7, President Trump signed an executive order extending the deadline for forging trade deals from July 9 to August 1. The action effectively extends the baseline additional 10 percent “reciprocal” tariff on all countries (except Mexico, Canada, and China) until August. This pause is an extension of the original pause in the “reciprocal” tariffs that were announced on April 2. The pause has been in place since April 9.
The president sent letters to 14 countries that have not yet come to the table to negotiate a new trade agreement with the U.S. You can see the list of countries contacted and the new tariff rates here.
Hearing on Forest Service Budget: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing this morning on the U.S. Forest Service’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget. The proposed budget reduces funding for Forest Service functions and delegates wildfire management to the Interior Department. Forest Service Chief Tom Shultz is the sole witness. In questioning this morning, Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) asked Chief Shultz if the Forest Service would prioritize implementation of language in the recently enacted budget reconciliation legislation to increase timber production on federal lands. Chief Shultz responded that the USFS would take steps necessary to ensure that an increase of 250 million board feet of timber is produced from federal lands year over year going forward.
Farm Bill Fall Resurrection: House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-PA) appears to have moved off his goal of marking up Farm Bill reauthorization legislation before the August recess. He had signaled to committee staff in late June that he wanted to proceed on a Farm Bill markup in late July. He is now signaling that his committee will try to proceed in mid-September. The Hardwood Federation team continues to advocate for full funding and authorization of the Wood Innovation and Community Wood grant programs, as well as a robust Forest Inventory and Analysis program, inclusion of Jobs in the Woods Act provisions, and language recognizing the carbon neutrality of forest-based biomass energy.
Source: Hardwood Federation