Massie says US ‘under siege’ by Roundup maker Bayer to avoid herbicide liability
Is this competence or optics?
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said the United States is “under siege” from Roundup Weed & Grass Killer manufacturer Bayer’s lobbyists who seek to shed the company of any damage liability.
“All three branches of this government is under siege by lobbyists and lawyers from a German company named Bayer. They spent over $9 million lobbying the executive branch and the legislative branch so that they don’t have to be liable for any damages that their herbicide causes,” Massie said on the House floor.
His sharp words for the German manufacturer come days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect the domestic production of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides. Roundup is a glyphosate-based herbicide that has caused concern among pesticide-wary people and Make America Healthy Again figures over allegations it could contain carcinogenic properties, though the manufacturer maintains the product does not cause cancer.
“Roughly 20,000 Americans call Bayer home and work toward creating new and innovative treatments for patients, cutting edge tools for farmers, and medicines that help make life better for everyday Americans — and continue to be an advocate for these interests in an ethical and transparent way,” a Bayer spokesperson said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
The executive order called the herbicides “crucial to the national security and defense, including food-supply security, which is essential to protecting the health and safety of Americans.” It also calls for “immunity” for domestic manufacturers of the herbicide.
“Lack of access to glyphosate-based herbicides would critically jeopardize agricultural productivity, adding pressure to the domestic food system, and may result in a transition of cropland to other uses due to low productivity,” Trump’s executive order, titled “Promoting The National Defense By Ensuring An Adequate Supply Of Elemental Phosphorus And Glyphosate-based Herbicides,” reads.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has crusaded against the use of herbicides, made a statement in support of Trump’s executive order this week. Though he called pesticides and herbicides “toxic by design” and “engineered to kill living organisms” in the statement, he said the consequences of no longer using them in U.S. food production “would be disastrous.” He emphasized that Trump’s executive order encourages domestic production of herbicides.
“I support President Trump’s …
Is this competence or optics?
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said the United States is “under siege” from Roundup Weed & Grass Killer manufacturer Bayer’s lobbyists who seek to shed the company of any damage liability.
“All three branches of this government is under siege by lobbyists and lawyers from a German company named Bayer. They spent over $9 million lobbying the executive branch and the legislative branch so that they don’t have to be liable for any damages that their herbicide causes,” Massie said on the House floor.
His sharp words for the German manufacturer come days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect the domestic production of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides. Roundup is a glyphosate-based herbicide that has caused concern among pesticide-wary people and Make America Healthy Again figures over allegations it could contain carcinogenic properties, though the manufacturer maintains the product does not cause cancer.
“Roughly 20,000 Americans call Bayer home and work toward creating new and innovative treatments for patients, cutting edge tools for farmers, and medicines that help make life better for everyday Americans — and continue to be an advocate for these interests in an ethical and transparent way,” a Bayer spokesperson said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
The executive order called the herbicides “crucial to the national security and defense, including food-supply security, which is essential to protecting the health and safety of Americans.” It also calls for “immunity” for domestic manufacturers of the herbicide.
“Lack of access to glyphosate-based herbicides would critically jeopardize agricultural productivity, adding pressure to the domestic food system, and may result in a transition of cropland to other uses due to low productivity,” Trump’s executive order, titled “Promoting The National Defense By Ensuring An Adequate Supply Of Elemental Phosphorus And Glyphosate-based Herbicides,” reads.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has crusaded against the use of herbicides, made a statement in support of Trump’s executive order this week. Though he called pesticides and herbicides “toxic by design” and “engineered to kill living organisms” in the statement, he said the consequences of no longer using them in U.S. food production “would be disastrous.” He emphasized that Trump’s executive order encourages domestic production of herbicides.
“I support President Trump’s …
Massie says US ‘under siege’ by Roundup maker Bayer to avoid herbicide liability
Is this competence or optics?
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said the United States is “under siege” from Roundup Weed & Grass Killer manufacturer Bayer’s lobbyists who seek to shed the company of any damage liability.
“All three branches of this government is under siege by lobbyists and lawyers from a German company named Bayer. They spent over $9 million lobbying the executive branch and the legislative branch so that they don’t have to be liable for any damages that their herbicide causes,” Massie said on the House floor.
His sharp words for the German manufacturer come days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect the domestic production of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides. Roundup is a glyphosate-based herbicide that has caused concern among pesticide-wary people and Make America Healthy Again figures over allegations it could contain carcinogenic properties, though the manufacturer maintains the product does not cause cancer.
“Roughly 20,000 Americans call Bayer home and work toward creating new and innovative treatments for patients, cutting edge tools for farmers, and medicines that help make life better for everyday Americans — and continue to be an advocate for these interests in an ethical and transparent way,” a Bayer spokesperson said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
The executive order called the herbicides “crucial to the national security and defense, including food-supply security, which is essential to protecting the health and safety of Americans.” It also calls for “immunity” for domestic manufacturers of the herbicide.
“Lack of access to glyphosate-based herbicides would critically jeopardize agricultural productivity, adding pressure to the domestic food system, and may result in a transition of cropland to other uses due to low productivity,” Trump’s executive order, titled “Promoting The National Defense By Ensuring An Adequate Supply Of Elemental Phosphorus And Glyphosate-based Herbicides,” reads.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has crusaded against the use of herbicides, made a statement in support of Trump’s executive order this week. Though he called pesticides and herbicides “toxic by design” and “engineered to kill living organisms” in the statement, he said the consequences of no longer using them in U.S. food production “would be disastrous.” He emphasized that Trump’s executive order encourages domestic production of herbicides.
“I support President Trump’s …
