MAHA WIN: Lawmakers strike farm bill provision shielding pesticide manufacturers from legal liability
Lawmakers approved the amendment in a 280 to 142 vote.
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Lawmakers approved the amendment in a 280 to 142 vote.
Lawmakers on Thursday approved an amendment to the farm bill that removed language shielding pesticide manufacturers from legal liability. Proponents of the amendment have said that failure to pass the amendment would be betraying the Make America Health Again (MAHA) movement.
The amendment was penned by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, with lawmakers approving the amendment in a 280 to 142 vote, per Fox News. The farm bill provision that was struck down would have prevented lawsuits from being brought against pesticide companies for failures to disclose potential health risks if the companies are in compliance with EPA regulations of labeling. The provision would also prevent localities from issuing pesticide labeling guidance that diverges from the EPA.
Luna wrote on Tuesday, "I have a little boy, and the amount of articles I have seen on pesticides and herbicides popping up in children’s products (to include organic) is very bad. On behalf of all the moms and dads that aren’t in office, I am not going to be bullied into supporting a bill that is providing protections and immunity to corporations that are responsible for giving children and adults cancer. This is literally above party affiliation. EVERY PARENT in CONGRESS should be standing up against this."
Texas Rep. Chip Roy said that the amendment would "protect Americans from dangerous pesticides."
Georgia Rep. Austin Scott, however, claimed that Luna’s amendment would lead to rising costs for Americans. "If the EPA says the label is good, I don’t see why every state municipality should have to have another label that would simply raise the price for the American consumer," he said.
"We're not talking about the pesticide in the jug as has been misrepresented to the American citizens and especially the MAHA movement," Scott continued. "We're talking about just the label on the jug. There is no liability shield for the pesticide in the jug."
The move comes as the Supreme Court heard arguments earlier in the week regarding whether pesticide manufacturers like Bayer can be held liable for failing to warn consumers that their weedkiller product Roundup might cause cancer.
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