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A group of House lawmakers moved Thursday to remove the controversial pesticide provision from legislation that sets US farm and food policy after Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has threatened to “kill” the legislation if her measures do not receive a low vote.
Lawmakers voted 280 to 142 to approve Luna’s amendment, which removed language from the farm bill that shields pesticide manufacturers from legal liability.
A successful vote would be a sign of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement’s growing influence over Republicans in Congress, who are divided on the issue. Leading MAHA advocates have put public pressure on Republicans to support the amendment, saying failure to do so would be a betrayal of the MAHA movement.
73 Republicans supported Luna’s measure, while 142 GOP lawmakers rejected it.
Representative Anna Paulina Luna, Republican of Florida, speaks to members of the media outside the House Republican Conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 3, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg)
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The law passed by lawmakers would prevent lawsuits against pesticide companies for failing to disclose potential health risks as long as they comply with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) labeling regulations. States and localities would be prohibited from issuing pesticide labeling guidance that differs from the EPA.
“I have a little boy, and the number of articles I’ve seen about pesticides and insecticides from baby products (including organic) is terrible,” Luna, a Republican affiliated with MAHA, wrote on social media earlier this week. “On behalf of all moms and dads out of office, I will not be swayed in supporting a bill that provides protections and immunities to companies responsible for giving children and adults cancer.”
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, policy chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, also endorsed Luna’s amendment, saying it would “protect the American people from harmful pesticides.”
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks to reporters after a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Oct. 20, 2025, during the government shutdown. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Republican critics, however, argued that Luna’s amendment would raise costs for consumers if the pesticide provision were removed from the farm bill.
“If the EPA says the label is good, I don’t see why every municipality in the state should have another label that just increases the price for the American consumer,” said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., opposed Luna’s measure.
“We are not talking about a pesticide in a jar as it has been misrepresented to American citizens, especially by the MAHA organization,” continued Scott. “We’re just talking about the label on the jar. There’s no protection for the pesticide on the jar.
A farm worker wearing protective equipment sprays an insecticide in a field. (Andrew Holbrooke/Corbis via Getty Images)
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., also strongly criticized Luna’s action.
“The arguments on the other side are shallow, and they’re emotional,” Thompson said on the House floor. “They are not based on science.”
Democrats also broadly supported the effort to remove the pesticide provision from the bill.
“Simply put, this language puts chemical company profits above the lives of the American people,” said Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, during a debate on the House floor.
A woman holds a bottle of Roundup herbicide containing glyphosate in her garden at the scene. (Wolf von Dewitz/Photo Agency)
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The turf war over pesticide supply also comes as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments this week on whether pesticide manufacturers such as Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, should be given legal immunity for failing to warn consumers that its Roundup herbicide product can cause cancer.
The Trump administration sparked controversy among MAHA advocates earlier this year when it declared domestic production of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, a national security priority. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., MAHA’s influential voice, publicly defended the move despite years of anti-glyphosate blasphemy.
Bayer has repeatedly emphasized that its product is safe to use and has not been found to cause cancer.
