Pesticide-Friendly Provision Stripped from Federal Spending Bill 

The latest version of the House spending “minibus” removed a controversial provision that would have granted legal immunity to pesticide manufacturers.  

WASHINGTON — Today, the House Appropriations Committee released a conferenced version of its Interior appropriations bill. The committee removed Section 453, which would have granted pesticide manufacturers legal immunity from lawsuits claiming their products harmed people.  

“This is an important win for farmers, rural communities, and children. The pesticide industry must be held accountable for the harms of its products. It’s unconscionable that members of Congress have been fighting on behalf of pesticide companies to grant them legal immunity. We applaud the members of the Appropriations Committee who fought to strip the ‘cancer gag’ language from the bill,” said Jason Davidson, Senior Food and Agriculture Campaigner with Friends of the Earth. “We remain vigilant for other efforts, in the halls of Congress and beyond, that seek to undermine our rights in favor of pesticide company profits.” 

Communications contact: Lindsay Tice, [email protected], (202) 783-7400 ext. 8403