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By Jasmine Laws
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Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, said Wednesday that she was "accosted" by two members of her party as the debate over amendments to the Farm Bill turned "nasty."
The Farm Bill, or the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, is a sweeping package aimed at supporting farmers, though a number of its measures, such as those regarding pesticides, have been divisive.
Luna said on X that both Republicans, whom she did not name, "claim to be 'God-fearing' Christians, but are shilling for cancer causing pesticide companies," and that "one even claims to be pro-life, but is cool with pesticides killing kids."
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Later, at around 11 p.m. ET, Luna posted a video on X saying that, amid the debate, "people got nasty."
It is not clear who the two lawmakers were or what they said to Luna. Newsweek reached out to Luna's office outside of regular working hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The House was set to vote on three bills under a procedural rule introduced to streamline voting and hold the GOP together amid infighting. These bills were the Farm Bill, a three-year extension of the government’s foreign surveillance authority, and a budget resolution tied to immigration enforcement.
Though it aimed to streamline the process, the procedural vote meant that any objections to the Farm Bill, of which there have been many, could block all three measures at once.
However, the planned vote has now been postponed by House leaders after a Republican revolt, people familiar with the plans told Politico, exposing the growing tension in the party regarding the Farm Bill. It is now anticipated to be brought to the floor in May for a vote, per the outlet.
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What To Know
Luna has led the opposition to a Farm Bill provision that would shield pesticide makers from liability. She has warned in posts on X that the bill’s current language could endanger public health, saying pesticides “are giving kids cancer” and questioning why Congress would “protect” manufacturers. She has also argued that if the three bills “are forced through under one rule, they are likely to fail together.”
After a vote on Thursday morning, the House adopted Luna's amendment by a large margin of 280-142. Luna wrote in a post on X: "My amendment passed! Pesticide liability protections have been stripped from the farm bill."
This means that Section 10205 has been struck from the bill, which would have "shielded pesticide companies from their duty to warn the public about dangerous chemicals," J.W. Glass, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) senior policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity, told Newsweek.
Section 10206, "which would have eliminated the six-decade-old authority of state and local governments to implement additional restrictions to protect people from dangerous pesticides," is out too, he added.
Section 10207, which Glass said would have "erased long-standing safeguards to protect people and wildlife from pesticides under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and other bedrock environmental laws," has also been struck from the bill.
Reacting to the update, Glass said: "This is a huge win for every American who wants to make sure their kids are eating healthy food free of toxic, dangerous pesticides."
He added that it was "gratifying to see that more and more members of Congress are realizing the damage foreign-owned pesticide companies have inflicted on the American people and are willing to hold these companies accountable," and that hopefully this vote "marks a turning point when the pesticide industry and its army of lobbyists lost it death grip on Congress and people’s health stopped being thrown under the bus.”
Prior to the vote, the amendment had garnered support from some farm groups and other MAGA-aligned lawmakers, who are largely opposed to the use of pesticides, particularly those containing glyphosate. Reducing the use of pesticides, particularly glyphosate-based ones, has been a major ask of many MAHA supporters as well.
While the U.S. EPA determined glyphosate to be safe to humans, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has concluded that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans,” citing “strong” evidence of genotoxicity.
Glyphosate, the key ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup, which has been the subject of tens of thousands of lawsuits, is the most widely used herbicide in the U.S. and worldwide, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The debate around the Farm Bill—and Luna's amendment—comes as the Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday in the case against Roundup, manufactured by Bayer, with accusations that exposure to the chemical left claimants with cancer.
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