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House Votes 280-142 to Strip Pesticide Liability Provision

5/1/2026

Summary

Luna Strips Provision

The House voted 280-142 to strip a pesticide liability provision from the farm bill after Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) offered the amendment.
Seventy-three Republicans and 207 Democrats supported the amendment, prompting Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) to say it favored chemical profits over health.
The amendment removed language that would have barred states and courts from penalizing pesticide makers beyond EPA labeling.

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Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.) said the Senate will drop the pesticide provision because Democrats oppose it, noting that Supreme Court may rule statutes already curb lawsuits, making the amendment unnecessary.
Leaders Pete Aguilar (D-California) and Angie Craig (D-Minnesota) warned caucus will oppose bill’s cuts and pesticide language, urging a whip because food-stamp cuts are locked for five years.

History

Historical Context

Congress passed the Food Quality Protection Act on August 3 1996, signed by President Bill Clinton, to replace the Delaney clause with a health-based, child-focused standard and forced the EPA to reassess 99% of pesticide tolerances. The law’s emphasis on limiting liability echoes today’s House amendment led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and opposed by Rep. Chellie Pingree, reviving the 1996 precedent.

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Luna Strips Provision

The House voted 280-142 to strip a pesticide liability provision from the farm bill after Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) offered the amendment.
Seventy-three Republicans and 207 Democrats supported the amendment, prompting Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) to say it favored chemical profits over health.
The amendment removed language that would have barred states and courts from penalizing pesticide makers beyond EPA labeling.

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