H.R. 6369 — Cutting COSTS Act of 2025

This section establishes a Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) payment program under which the Secretary of Agriculture makes payments to covered producers (i.e., operators of small farms with average adjusted gross income below $350,000 or beginning farmers or ranchers, as defined) equal to the full cost of a GAP audit (i.e., an audit under USDA Agricultural Marketing Service verification programs to confirm compliance with FDA guidance on produce safety standards). The Secretary must submit reports to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees one year after enactment and annually for the next four years describing program participation and its effects on producers' market access to retail food stores (as defined in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008) that require GAP audits. The program is funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation and sunsets five years after enactment. (As background, GAP audits help ensure safe production and harvesting of raw fruits and vegetables under FDA standards established pursuant to the Food Safety Modernization Act [21 U.S.C. 350h].)