What Happened?
Mars Inc., a food, beverage, and chocolate company, reported paying the lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs $140,000 for the third quarter of 2026 for work on issues including Farm Bill implementation, food and pet food regulation, and President Trump's tariff increases. The activity is documented in an LD-2 Disclosure Form filed by the law and lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs on behalf of Mars Inc.
The filing covers Farm Bill implementation, food and pet food regulation, cocoa sustainability, federal tax reform, and proposed tariffs, along with reauthorization of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The $140,000 fee is unchanged from the second quarter of 2026, up from $130,000 in the first quarter.
Why Does it Matter to Me?
Mars's third-quarter lobbying covers food and pet food regulation, cocoa sustainability, federal tax reform, and proposed tariffs. The filing specifically lists the PURR Act of 2025, a bill dealing with pet food oversight through the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine.
On tax policy, H.R. 1, the reconciliation bill containing tax provisions, was signed into law on July 4, 2025, and a June 2026 Hamilton Project analysis said the U.S. international corporate-tax regime has weakened the global tax agreement and expanded risks of tax competition and corporate tax-base erosion.
Both Sides, Now
The House Agriculture Committee published an endorsement list in April for the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, known as H.R. 7567.
Opponents include the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, which reported that more than 300 farm groups urged Congress to reject the bill, calling for a bipartisan approach that strengthens the safety net and invests in local and regional markets. The Animal Welfare Institute also raised concerns that the bill would weaken animal-welfare protections, including a provision allowing sales of uninspected meat from certain custom slaughterhouses.
On trade, the Supreme Court issued a decision in February in *Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump* on presidential tariff authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
What Happens Next?
AGOA expires in December, and Congress must act before year-end to prevent another lapse; the program had already expired in the fall of 2025 before Congress reauthorized it early this year.
The farm bill and the PURR Act remain pending with no floor vote scheduled in either chamber, according to the Legis1 analysis of the filing. Only one of Mars's lobbying firms has posted a third-quarter 2026 disclosure so far, meaning the client total for the quarter is incomplete.
Will Congress pass a new farm bill and renew AGOA before the December deadline, or will both lapse again?
---
AllCiv makes it easy to stay politically informed and involved.
---
Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article