Republican infighting between two key constituencies — the agricultural sector and the MHA coalition — is threatening passage of a bill that leaders are counting on to help woo rural voters ahead of the midterms.
House GOP leaders hope long-delayed work will move forward this week farm Bill This will protect many industries and rural investments. They see a political incentive to move quickly to shore up support for farm country ahead of the November elections, as well as President Donald Trump’s call to action.Pass the Farm Bill now!","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116261712648536578","_Identification": :"0000019d-c978-df48-a9bf-dffb5be00000","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-c978-df48-a9bf-dffb5be00001","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>Pass the Agriculture Bill now!“
The farm bill traditionally comes to the House with bipartisan support. But this time House Democrats are opposing the package largely because it does not reverse the deep cuts to the nation’s largest food assistance program implemented by last year’s GOP megabill. There is added pressure on Republicans to see it across the finish line amid interparty disagreements over provisions related to pesticides, livestock laws and ethanol sales.
The biggest source of conflict is over a provision that would shield pesticide manufacturers — a powerful lobbying force with farm state Republicans — from lawsuits. This comes as the Trump administration has also moved to protect access to a key pesticide","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/20/how-biotech-giant-bayer-landed-a-win-that-made-maha-furious-00838045","_Identification": :"0000019d-c978-df48-a9bf-dffb5be00002","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-c978-df48-a9bf-dffb5be00003","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>The Trump administration has also taken steps to protect access to a key pesticide Chemical manufacturers told the White House that they were concerned about regulatory uncertainty or MHA-driven action. Removing the measure would provoke a backlash from Trump officials and farm state Republicans.
MHA workers felt betrayed after voting for Trump in hopes that his administration would take action on chemical exposures they blame for increasing chronic disease and illnesses. And now these activists are so fed up that they’ve started working with a group of House Democrats to eliminate the language, according to four people who asked to remain anonymous to share private discussions.
Many Republicans, who hold overwhelming power in Speaker Mike Johnson’s razor-thin majority, may try to block the entire bill if the provision is not removed.
Representative. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), one of the leading Republicans to oppose the pesticide provision, said she opposes the farm bill in its current form. His biggest concern? “Glyphosate,” he said, referring to the widely used chemical weed killer targeted by the MHA.
Most Republicans do not think bipartisan opposition on the pesticide provision will succeed, arguing that the bill clarifies labeling rules and national standards for pesticides and herbicides used by farmers.
House Agriculture Chair GT Thompson","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://directory.politicopro.com/congress/member/167ca200-b155-48e6-a492-634fe00fbcc4","_Identification": :"0000019d-c978-df48-a9bf-dffb5be00004","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-c978-df48-a9bf-dffb5be00005","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>GT Thompson (R-Pa.) bill markupsaid during","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026/03/house-republicans-stand-by-pestIDE-measure-that-angered-maha-allies-00813833","_Identification": :"0000019d-c978-df48-a9bf-dffb5be00006","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-c978-df48-a9bf-dffb5be00007","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>stated during markup of the bill The provision is “critical to ensuring access to well-regulated pesticide devices,” consistent with Republicans’ focus on food affordability ahead of the midterms.
Even rep. thomas massey (R-Ky.) said in an interview that he plans to vote for the final bill despite his concerns about the pesticide language, because it includes a pilot project allowing small meat processors to bypass federal USDA inspections and sell directly to consumers.
But the Kentucky Republican is still pushing to remove the pesticide measure, arguing that “the government is under siege” by chemical company lobbyists. And further stoking tensions and drawing attention to division will bring the farm bill to the floor The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments that same week. A high-profile case over whether the manufacturer of glyphosate-based Roundup should be exempted Claims for failure to warn For cancer risks caused by pesticide use.
Macy’s and Rep. chelli pingri (D-Maine) is scheduled to join a group of speakers at a rally organized by MAHA outside the Supreme Court on Monday morning — billed as “The People vs. Poison.”
Pingree, who has fought for years against Republican efforts to pass similar language, has co-sponsored a bipartisan amendment to remove pesticide language from this year’s farm bill.
Pingree said of his amendment, “It’s good that there are Republicans there, and one of the reasons we wanted to make sure it was bipartisan is because they are more likely to be in a position to put pressure on the Rules Committee members and the chair.”
Pingree’s amendment is one of hundreds of amendments that House Republican leaders must pass when the Rules Committee meets on Monday afternoon to pave the way for consideration of the farm bill. Johnson and his leadership team are working to prevent amendment votes on other bills. But they may need to make some allowances on the farm package, at the very least, to guarantee the adoption of the party-line procedural rules vote needed to reach the underlying measure.
Luna, an MHA-aligned Republican, said in an interview that leaders have not committed to allowing a floor vote on his amendment to remove the pesticide measure.
Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick And Ryan McKenzieAnd representative. lauren boebert More of Colorado nancy mace All states except South Carolina have introduced amendments to remove parts or all of the pesticide provisions in the bill.
The Farm Bill is also threatened by a provision that would repeal state-level guidelines on livestock sales — notably a California ballot initiative governing pig confinement, which pork producers have argued hurts their bottom lines and creates regulatory inconsistencies across states.
Luna and other Republican supporters, including Mace and Reps. Jeff Van Drew More of New Jersey Andrew Garbarino And mike lawler New Yorkers say overturning the referendum would weaken states’ abilities to regulate agricultural practices within their borders.
Another policy battle — allowing year-round sales of higher blends of ethanol at the gas pump — could also hamper plans to pass the farm bill. Biofuel advocates and agriculture groups are lobbying members to include the bipartisan E15 amendment into law, with fuel prices rising due to the Iran war increasing pressure to find a solution that could lower prices for consumers.
But GOP leaders would need to make a waiver to be able to include such an amendment in the bill, because the issue is outside the jurisdiction of the House Agriculture Committee. And lawmakers who represent smaller, independent refiners also will oppose the proposal and could vote against the entire package.
Thompson, meanwhile, is making a tough sell, saying in an interview that the legislation would be a “real morale booster” that would expand farmers’ borrowing abilities and modernize programs through the Agriculture Department that have not been updated since 2018.
During a closed-door meeting last week, Thompson also asked GOP hard-liners, who routinely oppose the farm bill, to support him this time, arguing that the direct farm subsidies they oppose most are not included because Republicans approved billions of dollars in new spending to strengthen the so-called farm safety net as part of last year’s megabill.
Representative. frank lucas (R-Okla.), who was chairman of the Agriculture Committee when Congress passed the 2014 farm bill, recently told reporters that lawmakers should avoid delaying the farm bill another year: The legislation has not been updated since 2018 and was due to be reauthorized in 2023.
Lucas warned, “You don’t want to make it into a brand new Congress. The issues involved here are not that complex. There are some controversial things… Many of those things, ultimately, get killed in the process. That’s the nature of the way things happen.”
