The future of the federal farm bill hangs by a thread this week as Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna leads a bipartisan effort to strip controversial provisions that critics say favor foreign corporations over American health and state rights.
With more than 300 amendments filed, the massive legislation faces an uncertain path to passage. At the heart of the deadlock is the “Save Our Bacon Act,” a measure introduced by Iowa Representative Ashley Hinson.
The act seeks to prevent states from setting their own agricultural production standards, a move supported by industry giants like Smithfield Foods.
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Luna has emerged as a primary antagonist to the provision, introducing an amendment to strike it entirely. On Monday, she took to X to warn colleagues she is prepared to “blow up the farm bill” if the final version includes language that shields pesticide manufacturers from liability or weakens safety warning labels.
“If farmers contract a form of cancer or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from this chemical, if this makes it into the Farm Bill, you won’t be able to sue for that,” warned Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, who is joined by Maine Democrat Chellie Pingree in the fight against the pesticide protections. Massie recently told reporters that the current administration is siding with “a German company trying to get immunity” at the expense of American citizens.
The health stakes were underscored by an April 27 study from Institut Pasteur, which found that pesticide-heavy environments could increase cancer risks by as much as 150%.
Despite the pushback, the House Rules Committee declined Tuesday to allow a floor vote on Luna’s specific amendment to remove the Save Our Bacon Act. However, the committee did advance a version of the pesticide amendment, setting it up for a high-stakes floor vote.
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Marty Irby, president and CEO of Capitol South, noted that Luna’s efforts have garnered support from over a dozen bipartisan cosponsors, including California Democrat Jim Costa and New Jersey Republican Jeff Van Drew. Irby warned the bill faces a steep “uphill battle” unless these disputed sections are cleared.
Supporters of the Save Our Bacon Act argue the bill is necessary to protect interstate commerce.
A spokesperson for Representative Hinson stated the act “reaffirms livestock producers’ right to sell their products across state lines, without interference from arbitrary mandates.” The office further argued that while large packers like Smithfield can afford to comply with varied state laws, “small, independent American farms and ranches cannot.”
The legislative tension has split the agricultural community. While 300 groups have signed a letter urging leadership to pass the bill to ensure stability for ranchers, another 300 farm groups—represented by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition—are calling for its rejection.
Historically, farm bills rely on “logrolling,” where urban and rural lawmakers trade support for nutrition programs like SNAP and agricultural subsidies. In the 2018 bill, SNAP accounted for 80% of the budget, though recent shifts have moved that figure closer to 72%.
As House leadership pushes for a vote this week, the sheer volume of internal disagreements suggests the traditional bipartisan coalition may be fracturing. Whether the bill can secure enough votes now depends on which amendments survive the final hours of debate.
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