WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a longtime organic farmer and senior member of the House Agriculture Committee, announced today that she will be introducing an amendment to the Republican Farm Bill that fights back against chemical companies and protects the health of Americans. Republicans’ Farm Bill includes provisions that would shield chemical manufacturers like Bayer from lawsuits and would preempt state and local warning label laws or usage regulations. The Pingree Protect Our Health Amendment would remove this harmful language from the Farm Bill. In January, Pingree successfully got a similar provision taken out of the FY2026 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill.
“Once again, the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress are siding with chemical companies and choosing corporate profits over Americans’ health—while paying lip service to the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement. This Farm Bill is a gift to Big Chemical, plain and simple. It delivers exactly what giants like Bayer have spent years lobbying for: blanket immunity from lawsuits and the power to gut the state warning label laws that protect families, farmers, and children,” Pingree said. “This provision would handcuff states and local communities when federal regulators drag their feet or bow to industry pressure, and it would slam the courthouse doors on people who’ve been poisoned and harmed. I have fought this industry-written language before, and I won. I am ready to fight it again. Public health, local control, and accountability are not bargaining chips, and they should never be sacrificed to shield polluters from responsibility.”
On Wednesday, President Trump signed an Executive Order to increase domestic production of glyphosate—a widely used weedkiller that has been linked to multiple health issues, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Outside of the upcoming Farm Bill fight, Pingree and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) have joined forces to introduce the No Immunity for Glyphosate Act, which would undo Trump’s recent Executive Order.
The U.S. Supreme Court also recently agreed to take up an appeal by the manufacturer of Roundup, supported by the Trump Administration, over lawsuits that allege it failed to warn consumers about the product’s dangers.
Pesticides in the United States are regulated under a combination of federal, state, and local laws. Debates over state and local authority to regulate pesticide use have been litigated for decades, particularly in cases involving widely used chemicals such as Roundup and paraquat, which have been linked to serious health harms. Many states, cities, and counties have adopted measures to restrict pesticide spraying near schools, homes, and public spaces, citing the heightened vulnerability of children to toxic exposure and risks to brain development, reproduction, and long-term health.
Seven states—Maine, Alaska, Hawaii, Maryland, Utah, Nevada, and Vermont—do not preempt local governments from regulating pesticide use within their jurisdictions. In Maine alone, there are more than 30 state and local regulations related to pesticide use and warning requirements that would be undermined or preempted under this Republican pesticide provision in the Farm Bill.
—The Office of Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)
