Hardwood Industry Makes Their Voice Heard

On Tuesday, October 14, the Hardwood Federation transmitted a letter to Trump Administration officials making the case that U.S. hardwood companies should be included in any trade assistance programs addressing agriculture industries negatively impacted by trade and tariff policies. While the farming community, particularly those how harvest soybeans are the focus of significant attention as exports have slowed, it is important for decision makers at the highest level to understand that the hardwood industry, an important agricultural industry sector, is also suffering from uncertain global markets.  The letter was sent to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutkin, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Over 430 hardwood mills, manufacturers, yards, logging companies, and suppliers signed on to the letter.

Working with Monument Advocacy, a D.C. based consulting group hired by the Federation to increase our outreach capacity, the industry letter has resulted in significant attention from the press.  You can see a sample of recent stories covering the letter here. And we are not done yet.  Monument continues to share the letter with state and local press outlets and connect hardwood industry members with journalists as requested. If you have press contacts in your local area, feel free to share the letter and encourage coverage.

Articles from home states are also being shared with Members of Congress.  The federal government shutdown has closed the doors of many offices, but officials are still working in their home states.  It’s a great time to share the letter with your representatives and senators.  You can find office e-mail addresses at Contact.Gov.

The Hardwood Federation continues to focus advocacy efforts on raising awareness of current challenges facing the industry and the need to structure trade agreements that support exports or provide bridge support to sustain hardwood operations until such deals can be achieved. Thank you to everyone that has supported the Hardwood Federation as we make every effort to address the challenges of today.



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Washington Watch

Welcome to the First Session of the 119th Congress.

The Senate remains in session this week and the House will be called back on Wednesday to reopen the government. Sunday evening, the Senate voted 60-40 on a Motion to Proceed on legislation that would fund the government through January 30. The package also includes full year appropriations bills for the Department of Agriculture, Military Construction-Department of Veterans Affairs and Legislative Branch.  The measure also extends through September 30, 2026 the remaining portions of the Farm Bill that were not addressed in the budget reconciliation law signed on July 4. While the measure does not include language reauthorizing Affordable Care Act provisions, Senate Majority Leader Thune committed to holding a vote in the Senate on the issue in December.

While the Motion to Proceed barely passed, the measure is expected to clear the Senate and then proceed to the House.

U.S. House of Representatives

  • The House returns Wednesday.

U.S. Senate

  • The Senate is in Session.


Cheat Sheet

November 13, 2025

Government Shutdown Ends: Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation (H.R. 5371) to end the longest government funding lapse in history—43 days. The vote was largely along party lines (222-209) and President signed the measure shortly thereafter. The bill extends government funding through January 30, 2026, and includes full fiscal year 2026 appropriations for the Departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs, as well as Legislative Branch Operations. The package buys Congress 11 more weeks to ramp up funding negotiations to complete work on the remaining fiscal 2026 spending bills. To that end, the Senate plans to begin consideration of four appropriations bills reported out of committee earlier this year. These include Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Commerce-Justice-Science and Transportation-HUD. Not yet on deck is the FY 2026 Interior Appropriations bill, which funds critical programs such as the Wod Innovation and Community Wood Grant programs.

Current Farm Bill Extended to September 2026: The government funding deal signed last night also includes a one-year extension of the remaining provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill that were not reauthorized as part of the budget reconciliation signed by the President July 4. Recall that the big-ticket items that drive the Farm Bill rewriting process—row crop agriculture, dairy and nutrition programs—were enacted July 4. Other provisions that do not enjoy mandatory funding were left out of that deal, namely the Wood Innovation and Community Wood Grant programs, as well as the Forest Inventory and Analysis program, among others. These programs are now authorized through the end of the next fiscal year—September 30, 2026.

USTR Suspends Investigation into Chinese Shipping Practices: On Monday, USTR officially suspended the Section 301 investigation into Chinese ship building activities for one year.  This announcement comes as part of the US-China trade deal reached in October.  Both countries will take action to de-escalate tensions around global shipping.  According to the White House Fact Sheet:

  • China will remove measures it took in retaliation for the US’s announcement of a Section 301 investigation on China’s Targeting the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance, and remove sanctions imposed on various shipping entities.
  • The US will suspend for one year, starting on November 10, 2025, implementation of the responsive actions taken pursuant to the Section 301 investigation on China’s Targeting the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance.  In the meantime, the United States will negotiate with China pursuant to Section 301 while continuing cooperation with Korea and Japan on revitalizing American shipbuilding.


Thoughts on the Cheat Sheet? Let us know at Hardwood.Federation@hardwoodfederation.com

 





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