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[Washington, D.C.] April 30, 2026 – Today, the U.S. House passed the Farm Bill with a vote of 224-200 which came after a contentious earlier morning House vote of 280-142 removing controversial pesticide labeling language from the Farm Bill. Congress has historically passed a Farm Bill every five years however today’s vote is the farthest a Farm Bill has made it in Congress since 2018.
Initial Farm Bill drafts contained a number of provisions protecting pesticide makers from lawsuits. Rep. Luna (R-FL) led a successful amendment striking these provisions from the Farm Bill with six Democrats voting to keep the pesticide language: Reps. Sanford Bishop (GA), Henry Cuellar (TX), Don Davis (NC), Vicente Gonzalez (TX), Adam Gray (CA) and Hank Johnson (GA). Due to growing pressure from the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, 73 Republicans voted with Rep. Luna.
Even with the pesticide provisions removed, more than 300 farm and food groups are still urging Congress to vote no on the Farm Bill. In response to the proposal, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments Executive Director Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN issued the following statement:
“While we are very glad that the language shielding pesticide companies from liability has been removed, nurses remain concerned that the House Farm Bill continues to include permanently excluding dozens of hazardous chemicals used in industrial agriculture from human health and environmental safety reviews, which are currently required, and continues to propose weakening and delaying efforts to protect children and farmworkers from dangerous pesticides by giving unprecedented authority to the USDA’s Office of Pest Management Policy. As nurses we will continue to fight for a fair Farm Bill that protects everyone’s health.”
Today’s vote occurred after Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court hearing on Monsanto/Bayer’s case on the weed killer glyphosate and the chemical industry’s responsibility to warn of their products’ potential hazards. The Farm Bill will now head to the Senate.
