30
Apr
Bipartisan Group Tells Congress, Supreme Court, and States To Reject Monsanto Attack on Health and Safety
(Beyond Pesticides, April 30, 2026) On April 27, 2026, advocates—including Beyond Pesticides—from across the political spectrum came together in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to speak out against the chemical industry campaign, led by Bayer/Monsanto, the Trump administration, and Republican lawmakers, to shield chemical manufacturers from liability for failing to warn people who have been harmed by their pesticides. Their multi-pronged strategy targets the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Congress, and state legislatures.
The question of the public’s right to sue chemical manufacturers that do not warn of product hazards was heard before the Supreme Court, as Monsanto argued that people who have been diagnosed with cancer after using the weed killer glyphosate should be prohibited from suing the company for failing to warn on the product label. The chemical manufacturer argued in Monsanto v. Durnell that federal registration of a pesticide preempts legal rights afforded to people under state law under U.S. federalism. The chemical industry is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse decades of jurisprudence and shield manufacturers from liability associated with those who are harmed but not warned about pesticide adverse effects like cancer, neurological or immunological conditions, reproductive dysfunction, and other chronic illnesses.
Highlighted Quotes from the Rally
“This is a case about people who have been harmed but not warned. Is the court going to allow the chemical industry to hide behind deceptive product labeling on hazards that should have been known and disclosed? On a daily basis, my organization, Beyond Pesticides, hears from people whose health has been harmed— and they have not been warned. That’s because our weak federal law does not require disclosure of potential threats, like cancer,†said Max Sano, Beyond Pesticides’ senior policy and coalitions associate, at the Supreme Court rally. He continued: “As the son of a naturalized citizen turned small business owner, I grew up with the now fleeting notion of the American Dream. Immigrants and farmworkers, regardless of their legal status, are a cornerstone of what makes our country great. Advocates, including founders of Beyond Pesticides, are in the fight for equity and the common good, a healthy life with clean water and air, a safe workplace, a society that treats all those living within our borders with dignity and humanity.â€
“Inside that building, Monsanto-Bayer will be arguing for the right to poison us and not be held accountable,†said Vani Hari, New York Times Best-Selling Author, food activist, and founder of Food Babe and Truvani. She continued: “Let’s be honest, we wouldn’t be here right now if President Trump didn’t sign that Executive Order. We wouldn’t be here right now if they weren’t inside that building arguing on Monsanto’s behalf. We wouldn’t be here right now if they didn’t submit that amicus brief and that recommendation to the Supreme Court to look at this case when they have lost all over the country.â€
“I have been an organic farmer in Maine since the 1970s, and no one can tell me or the other farmers here today that we can’t grow food without all of these toxic chemicals,†said U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME). She continued: “For me, this life-long fight has been to make sure everyone has access to healthy food without toxic chemicals and every farmer has the resources that they need to farm organically and regeneratively.â€
“Americans are under attack. There are four fronts to this war with the German company; they’re attacking our executive branch, our legislative branch at the state level, our legislative branch here in Washington D.C., and the courts,†said U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY). He continued: “And what do they want? They want a get-out-of-court-free card. We’re not going to give it to them. Was the EPA established to protect the environment and the people? Or was it established to protect foreign corporations when they harmed the environment and the people?â€
“The pesticide industry is playing their very last card. They are begging the justices, Congress, and the administration to airlift them out of responsibility so that they can keep making us sick and make every dime they can off of our illness, says Kelly Ryerson, founder of The Glyphosate Girl. She continued: “That is the pesticide liability shield. Let’s call it what it is—its a bailout from accountability and a request to be placed above the law.â€
“When this country was formed, it was formed because we gave the rights to have police power over health and safety, and gave rights to people to have access to courts. That’s a cornerstone. The 10th Amendment is the cornerstone of this country,†says former U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH). He continued: “And what Monsanto is trying to do with the help of the Justice Department and the Trump Administration is to give a special corporate carve out so that Article Six, the Supremacy Clause, will enable preemption of state laws.â€
“Right now, the U.S. uses millions of pounds of pesticides every year, and it is poisoning our air, our soil, our waters, and our bodies. Pesticide companies are raking in billions while the rest of us suffer,†says Sarah Starman, food and agriculture campaigner at Friends of the Earth. She continued: “People all across the country—rural and urban, left and right—are coming together to demand healthier food and less exposure to toxic chemicals.â€
“I’m here with anyone who believes that our indiscriminate use of pesticides is wrecking the environment, pushing wildlife to extinction, and creating a toxic soup of chemicals that are making us sick and polluting our water and air.†said J.W. Glass, senior EPA policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. He continued: “The science is clear—pesticides like glyphosate, atrazine, paraquat, and dozens of others that are banned in other countries but still ludicrously allowed in the United States are making us sick and pushing pollinators and wildlife to extinction.â€
“Center for Food Safety has a lot of experience with the EPA, and it comes from suing them and winning cases. And for us it’s a no-brainer: EPA deserves zero trust,†said Bill Freese, science director at Center for Food Safety. He continued: “In one of our lawsuits, a federal court actually revoked EPA’s human health assessment, and it was because EPA denied glyphosate could cause cancer but at the same time it said, ‘Well, it might just cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.’ It’s not just ‘might’ EPA, thousands of Roundup victims can tell you glyphosate causes cancer.â€
Call to Action
Please see here to see a recording of the speech at the rally delivered by Max Sano, senior policy and coalitions associate at Beyond Pesticides.
Alongside the rally, Beyond Pesticides and Center for Food Safety hosted a webinar analyzing in real-time the oral arguments and questions from the bench in Monsanto v. Durnell before the Supreme Court. For additional information, please see our backgrounder document. For more information on the issues before the U.S. Congress, see Advocates Call on Congress To Reject House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill and Extend Current Law.
JUST RELEASED: The webinar, Monsanto v. Durnell—Real-Time Analysis with George and Jay, a critique with audio from the Supreme Court session on one of the most foundational cases on pesticides in decades, Monsanto v. Durnell, can be viewed at [Click here] U.S. Supreme Court Analysis of Oral Arguments in Monsanto Case.
All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.
Source: Backgrounder Document
