More than 275 leaders and organizations from the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement have sent a letter urging Congressional MAHA Caucus members to stand firm against legislation that would grant federal preemption of state pesticide laws or provide liability shields to pesticide manufacturers.

“In America, if you buy baby formula and it harms your child, you have the right to sue the manufacturer. Why should pesticide manufacturers be exempt from liability?” asked Dave Murphy, founder of United We Eat.

The letter specifically calls on the Senate MAHA Caucus to reject $75 billion in proposed subsidies for pesticide-intensive commodity crops included in the House Budget Reconciliation bill. Instead, MAHA leaders are urging that funds be redirected toward programs proven to enhance soil health and support regenerative organic agriculture—such as the National Organic Program, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service initiatives, and organic research and transition assistance.

This effort pushes back on intense recent lobbying by the pesticide and industrial agriculture industries and their Congressional allies. In April, the Senate introduced the Food Security and Farm Protection Act (S. 1326)—a rebranded version of the EATS Act—which threatens to override hundreds of state and local food, farming, and public health laws.

Just weeks ago, 365 agriculture industry groups urged Congress to restrict state rights with the Ag Labeling Uniformity Act, inaccurately claiming pesticides are essential for environmental conservation and public health. A recent letter from 79 members of Congress echoed these views, urging the Trump administration to preserve the current federal framework for pesticides.

The MAHA community sharply disagrees, citing extensive scientific research linking pesticides to serious health concerns.

“Giving a liability waiver to vaccines invited the vaccine industry to make safety a minor concern. Do we want to give pesticide and herbicide makers a green light to ignore the safety of their products, too? Do we want to wait a decade or two before the risks of pesticides in our food are identified? Of course not! Pesticide liability shields are a ‘lose-lose’ for everyone,” said Dr. Meryl Nass, president of Door to Freedom and a prominent health expert and signatory.

Will Harris, a fourth-generation farmer and owner of White Oak Pastures in Georgia, emphasized the economic and environmental urgency of shifting subsidies. “America’s farmers today have a chance to switch away from costly chemical inputs and work with nature on their farms. I used to be a high-input commodity farmer. When my farm made the shift to nature-friendly, regenerative farming, we not only became profitable and exponentially increased our farm’s economic impact in our impoverished community, but we also experienced an amazing return of birds and pollinators to our farm.”

Murphy, a former chief fundraiser for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., warned of potential electoral fallout. “Americans from all political backgrounds overwhelmingly want clean, safe food systems, and Congressional members actively opposing MAHA priorities—shifting subsidies and reducing toxic chemicals in our food—risk losing their seats. If MAHA Caucus members are serious about health, they will oppose federal pesticide preemption and state liability shields and increase funding to help transition farmers to better soil health and regenerative farming practices.”

Efforts to shield Bayer and Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller from legal liability are also widely unpopular among Republicans, even in Iowa—the nation’s leading producer of Roundup Ready GMO corn and soybeans—where Murphy resides.

A 2024 poll by Accountable Iowa of Iowa voters found that liability shield efforts could significantly hurt Republican candidates in 2026. The poll found:

• 87% of registered Republican respondents oppose giving chemical companies like Bayer-Monsanto immunity from lawsuits.
• 94% of surveyed Republican voters agreed that it is very concerning that the EPA relies on industry-funded data to carry out safety studies.

Commenting on the House Reconciliation bill currently before the Senate, Zen Honeycutt, founder of Moms Across America and a key MAHA leader, added: “What a deceptive strategy for Big Ag to be lobbying for a bigger payout than the FDA’s yearly budget under the guise of farmer support. Just think what $7.5 billion a year could do for our children via school lunches (who get only $2 per meal for food now). Rather than feed the toxic treadmill of chemical cocktails, why not create a market for non-toxic, nutrient-dense (organic) food for our future leaders and support farmers to transition to regenerative organic farming?”

MAHA leaders acknowledged the intense pressure legislators face from powerful industries but emphasized the necessity for courage and integrity in public health. They pledged robust support for MAHA Caucus members who prioritize the nation’s health over corporate interests.

Read the full letter from MAHA leaders to Congress here or below.

June 11, 2025
To:
The Honorable Roger Marshall
Chairman, U.S. Senate Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Caucus
479A Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Vern Buchanan
Co-Chair, U.S. House of Representatives MAHA Caucus
2409 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable John Joyce
Co-Chair, U.S. House of Representatives MAHA Caucus
2102 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Lloyd Smucker
Co-Chair, U.S. House of Representatives MAHA Caucus
302 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20003

RE: Request for Congressional Leadership: Stand Firm Against Federal Preemption and Chemical Liability Shields and Support Farmer Transition to Regenerative Agriculture

Dear U.S. Senate and House MAHA Caucus Members,

We write to you as members and supporters of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) community to thank you for your continued leadership and commitment to restoring integrity, transparency, and health to our national food and agriculture systems.

Your presence in Congress represents the moral and practical center of a movement that brings together Americans across the political spectrum around shared values of food safety, health freedom, and the protection of life at every stage.

We understand the immense pressure you face from powerful lobbying interests representing the chemical, pharmaceutical, and industrial agriculture sectors. These industries have long enjoyed outsized influence in shaping policy, often at the expense of public health and the health of our families and future generations.

A recent letter from 79 Members of Congress urging the administration to maintain the current agrichemical regime illustrates how aggressively this influence is being leveraged to preserve the status quo.

As you know, legislation has already been introduced in several states—including Georgia’s recently passed HB 211—that provides liability shields to chemical manufacturers, even when their products are tied to grave harm. The 2024 House Republican Farm Bill draft included language that would have preempted state pesticide protections and restricted Americans’ ability to seek redress through the courts.

This is a pivotal moment. We are witnessing a broader pattern of industry-driven efforts to erode the public’s right to accountability. Members of this caucus are deeply familiar with the consequences of liability shields in other sectors—most notably in the pharmaceutical industry.

The 1986 National Vaccine Injury Act interfered with families suing in federal court for vaccine injuries. The Supreme Court’s 2011 Bruesewitz decision removed the possibility of suing for vaccine injuries in state court, leaving many injured Americans without remedies, while providing an unprecedented liability shield and profitability to the vaccine industry.

Extensive peer-reviewed research has credibly tied glyphosate to infertility, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and possible cancer. Atrazine is a known endocrine disruptor. Chlorpyrifos has been linked to serious neurological toxicity and developmental harm. Preventing Americans from being able to sue for injuries caused by pesticides and herbicides will only harm the American public, while granting a multi-billion-dollar gift to industry.

Shielding these corporations from liability would remove one of the last mechanisms the American people have to defend themselves. There is not a single reason for anyone (apart from the manufacturers) to be in favor of this bill.

We urge you and the MAHA Caucus to stand strong in the face of this pressure and reaffirm your public commitment to:

• Oppose any provision in the farm bill or other legislative vehicles that would grant immunity to chemical manufacturers.
• Block any attempt to preempt state-level pesticide restrictions or weaken existing accountability measures.
• Protect and restore funding for the National Organic Program, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service soil health initiatives, and regenerative organic agriculture research and transition support.
• Oppose the provision in the Senate Reconciliation bill that would increase commodity subsidies by $30 billion over 10 years for just six pesticide-intensive crops—entrenching chemical-intensive monocultures and costing taxpayers $75 billion. Instead, redirect funds to help farmers build soil health and move away from harmful chemicals.

The MAHA Commission, chaired by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was established to address precisely these systemic challenges. It was created to lift the veil on regulatory failure and corporate capture and to chart a path forward that honors life, health, and liberty.

We are here to support your leadership. Please count on us as a resource for talking points, briefing materials, scientific references, public engagement strategies, and constituency support.

We stand ready to assist you in any way that strengthens your ability to champion this essential work in Congress. We also encourage you to actively invite your colleagues to join the MAHA Caucus. Together, we can build broad consensus, educate across the aisle, and inspire meaningful legislative change.

The long-term health of our nation depends on principled leadership at this critical time. The families who steward our land and feed our nation should not be forced to carry the burden of corporate negligence while being stripped of the tools to defend their rights.

With respect and solidarity,

Signed by MAHA Doctors, Farmers, and State and National MAHA Leaders.