politics
House Removes Pesticide Liability Protections from Farm Bill
The House passed an amendment on April 30 to strip liability protections for pesticide makers from the Farm Bill. The vote followed pressure from MAHA activists who rallied outside the Supreme Court on April 27 during arguments in a glyphosate case.
Jun 4, 11:36 AM·1m read1 source
Al JazeeraAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
On April 27, several hundred protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court while justices heard oral arguments in Monsanto Company v Durnell. The case concerns whether Bayer, Monsanto's parent company, can be sued over claims that glyphosate causes cancer.
Glyphosate was the active ingredient in Roundup until recently. Bayer has settled nearly 100,000 related lawsuits for about $11 billion, with tens of thousands of cases still pending.
After the rally, MAHA activists visited House offices and posted on X urging lawmakers to reject liability protections for pesticide manufacturers. On April 30, 73 Republicans joined most Democrats to pass an amendment removing those protections from the Farm Bill.
Kelly Ryerson, known online as Glyphosate Girl, said the group watched the vote live and felt relieved. The amendment passed despite earlier consideration of language that would have shielded companies such as Bayer from future suits.
Speakers at the rally included Zen Honeycutt of Moms Across America, Vani Hari who posts as Food Babe, and Alex Clark of Turning Point USA. Ryerson described the movement as having shifted from a largely Democratic base to include more conservatives since 2021.
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll cited in the coverage found that about 40 percent of Americans support the Make America Healthy Again movement. A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll found roughly four in five Americans express concern about pesticides and food additives.
The Supreme Court decision on Bayer's liability is expected this month.
