Government Affairs

President Donald Trump signed a sweeping omnibus package dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into law on July 4. Included in the legislation are provisions that benefit businesses such as beer distributors.

BA president and CEO Bart Watson addresses the Trump administration doubling tariffs on imported aluminum and steel.

Last week, Marty Makary, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, alongside Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., proclaimed the administration’s desire to phase out the use of eight synthetic food dyes by the end of 2026.

The Brewers Association (BA) has tapped Samuel Beaver to lead federal government affairs, the trade organization announced Thursday. Beaver joins the BA from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), where he served as director of government relations for nearly six years.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a new directive for manufacturers to phase out eight synthetic food dyes used in the formulations of thousands of food and beverage products.

As some suppliers and wholesalers warm to intoxicating hemp beverages, bev-alc trade group leaders are looking for regulatory parity between their members’ products and the burgeoning segment.

Beer distributors’ top priority in lobbying visits with congressional members during the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) legislative conference was to push for permanence for lowered tax rates put in place by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

Longtime lead lobbyist Katie Marisic has exited the Brewers Association (BA), where she was senior director of federal affairs. Marisic represented craft brewers’ voices and the BA in Washington, D.C. for a decade.

President Donald Trump launched a trade war today with the United States’ North American trade partners, Canada and Mexico, implementing 25% tariffs on goods imported from each country. Trump also doubled existing duties on goods from China to 20%.

Maryland lawmakers are considering a bill that would expand beer and wine sales licenses to the state’s grocery, convenience, mass retail and warehouse stores. However, House Bill 1379 “faced tough questioning in committee and faces a tough road to passage in the House,” Maryland Matters reported, citing a nearly three-hour debate over it last week.

Days after the former U.S. surgeon general called for cancer risk warning labels to be placed on alcoholic beverages, two state Legislatures are considering bills that would expand cancer warnings for bev-alc consumers.

A U.S. Surgeon General advisory issued today called for adding cancer risk to health warning labels on alcoholic beverages and called for “a reassessment of the guideline limits for alcohol consumption to account for cancer risk.”

The first of two major reports that will inform the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ alcohol consumption recommendations has found that moderate drinking is better than not drinking for certain health issues.

The Kroger Company and Albertsons Companies this week terminated the proposed $24.6 billion merger agreement that was initially announced more than two years ago, after a federal judge sided with the Federal Trade Commission suing to block the deal and Washington and Oregon state courts put permanent injunctions in place to halt the transaction.