April 22, 2026 – Republican and Democratic lawmakers have teamed up in an effort to maintain state authority on pesticide warnings and animal welfare laws in the House version of a farm bill.

The House Rules Committee is expected to discuss the 2026 Farm Bill next week, potentially leading to a full vote on the House floor. The bill, entitled the “Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026,” advanced out of the House Agriculture Committee in March with seven Democrats joining Republicans in supporting the package.

But during the markup, Democrats blasted the bill for not reversing cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) made under the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), and for various “poison pills” that would make the package difficult to pass.

Now as the rules panel considers amendments to the package from the entire chamber, members from both sides of the aisle are attempting to strip out some of those provisions.

Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) introduced an amendment to strip a provision in the farm bill that would make lawsuits from individuals against pesticide companies more difficult by creating a uniform national pesticide label. This language preempts state or local mandates for stricter labeling.

Maine alone has more than 30 state and local regulations on pesticide use and labels that would be undermined by the farm bill as currently written, according to a press release from Pingree’s office. This specific language has come up in the appropriations process but has been previously rejected.

“Americans need to know: Our government is under siege by lobbyists for German company Bayer,” Massie said in the press release. “To Make America Healthy Again, Congress should remove the language containing the pesticide liability shield from the Farm Bill.”

This amendment, which comes ahead of a related U.S. Supreme Court case over warning labels for the popular weedkiller Roundup, was co-sponsored by two Democrats and two Republicans. Another amendment to strike the pesticide labeling provision was introduced by Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida).

Luna also introduced an amendment with bipartisan support to remove a provision that would preempt state laws focused on animal welfare requirements, like California’s Proposition 12. Luna was one of 14 House Republicans who warned against including this provision in the farm bill over concerns it would undermine state authority.

House Republican leadership is working to build support among the entire caucus for the farm bill, emphasizing it as budget-neutral with “responsible spending,” according to POLITICO. But the amendments show potential sticking points as the legislation advances.

Ultimately the Senate needs to clear the package, and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders have indicated they would introduce their own version. But it remains unclear when that will be introduced and debated.

Speaking at an event hosted by news site NOTUS, Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) said the committee has been “frozen” since the OBBB. The cuts included in that package weakened the coalition that has historically guided a farm bill to passage, she added.

“Love it or hate it, they’ve done the work, at least there’s something to think about,” Slotkin said about the House farm bill. “In the Senate, the Republicans are just waiting for their cues from the White House on another reconciliation bill. In the meantime, we’re using a farm bill that’s literally like eight years out of date.” (Link to this post.)

Senior staff reporter Lisa Held contributed reporting.

The post Bipartisan Group of House Lawmakers Push to Remove Pesticide Shield from Farm Bill appeared first on Civil Eats.

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