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Across food and agriculture policy, the Trump administration continues to advance an agenda shaped by corporate influence—weakening accountability, sidelining public health, and constraining states’ ability to protect the people. 

In our latest CROP HOT TAKES Blog, we share updates on federal actions that have impacts on your work and communities, including: 

• EPA’s changes to air pollution rules could mean increased rates of lung disease and death and more PFAS exposure; 
• Pesticide industry continues campaign to enshrine immunity for harms caused by products at SCOTUS; 
• Farm bill passes House with some pesticide provisions and “Save Our Bacon” Act intact, positives for sustainable aquaculture movement; 
• Changes to SNAP/WIC rules coupled with funding cuts hits rural communities hard. 

See more below. We will continue to monitor these issues and be in touch with further resources and information as they become available. If you need assistance on any of these issues or others, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at [email protected]. 

See other CROP HOT Takes from: 

• 2026: January | April |
• 2025: January 28 | February 3rd  | February 19th  | April 14th | October 26

EPA’s changes to air pollution rules could mean increased rates of lung disease and death, more PFAS exposure: 

• As the Trump Administration continues to dismantle federal public health infrastructure, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a new rule removing the requirement to analyze the economic cost of health harms from fine particles and ozone. The move weakens the EPA’s air pollution rules on fossil fuel-powered power plant turbines, a major source of these contaminants.  Simultaneously, a recent analysis by pulmonary specialists and public health experts have found that multiple Trump policies across 10 areas, including healthcare access, environmental regulation, workplace protections, and vaccine uptake are likely to drive “soaring rates of lung disease and premature death”. 
• The EPA also proposed a new rule to rescind Safe Drinking Water Act regulations for four types of PFAS in drinking water that were set under the Biden Administration, and announced plans to delay enforcement of additional PFAS/PFOS regulation to 2029.
• To learn more about states on the front lines of public health, read our recent blog post and if you’d like support in your state on working on public health issues related to the climate or environment, please reach out to the SiX Ag team at [email protected] 

Pesticide industry continues campaign to enshrine immunity for harms caused by products at SCOTUS: 

• Over the last three years, the pesticide industry and their allies in the Trump administration have waged a state, national, and legal campaign to roll back pesticide and chemical regulations while protecting their bottom line at the expense of communities. On April 27, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Monsanto v. Durnell, a case that could shield Monsanto’s parent company Bayer from liability tied to cancer claims involving its herbicide Roundup. Multiple bipartisan amici curiae briefs have been filed in opposition, including one signed by 37 state legislators from both sides of the aisle. On the day of oral arguments, a bipartisan coalition of advocates and state legislators held a People v. Poison rally at the Supreme Court. 

Farm bill passes House with some pesticide provisions and “Save Our Bacon” Act intact, positives for sustainable aquaculture movement; 

• In late April, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the 2026 Farm Bill in a tight 224–200 vote after a messy debate over food programs, pesticides, and states’ rights. While sustainable food and farming advocates clocked a few wins for independent farmers, the core of the bill still held many provisions that favored the largest industrial players in agriculture and their corporate bottom line.
• WIN: Pesticide Immunity Provision Stripped from Farm Bill: In a major win for farmworkers, farmers, and communities living near pesticide application areas, the pesticide immunity provision was removed from the final House version of the Farm Bill. Backed by Bayer Corporation, the measure was part of a broader effort to shield pesticide and herbicide manufacturers — including makers of products like Roundup — from legal liability for harms linked to chemical exposure. It’s the same playbook the corporation is pushing in state legislatures across the country. The fight isn’t over. Four pro-pesticide provisions remain in the bill, continuing to put chemical industry interests ahead of people and public health. If you’re working to stop pesticide immunity legislation in your state, check out our pesticide resource here. 
• LOSS: Save Our Bacon Act Still Intact: Unfortunately, the final House version of the Farm bill still includes the “Save Our Bacon Act” that would override state-level agriculture policies. (The provision was adapted for the farm bill from the EATS Act, which SiX has been opposing for several years.) One of the many state laws it would override is California’s Proposition 12, which was approved by voters and has become a lifeline for independent hog farmers who are now raising crate-free pork. The impacts of the Save Our Bacon language could have far-reaching consequences, preventing states from supporting independent producers who can earn higher prices for farming in a more sustainable and higher animal welfare manner, leaving a market that protects the largest industrial operations from competition. 
• Upcoming, Senate Farm Bill: The U.S. Senate will now take up its version of the pesticide immunity provisions. On a brighter note, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska is working to insert her “American Seafood Competitiveness Act” into the Senate’s version of the farm bill. The bill would give commercial fishers access to USDA programs that farmers and ranchers have access to as essential food producers, including agricultural programs, labor programs, financing tools, disaster relief, insurance structures and more. 
  • For an in-depth look at the House Farm Bill, check out the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s Unpacking the Farm Bill Series.  

Trump’s Latest Budget Reveals Even Deeper Cuts to Food Assistance, Rural Programs. 

• Since the passage of H.R. 1 last year, the impacts from cuts to essential services continue rolling in. Now experts are saying that rule changes to SNAP and WIC will make it even harder for families to access healthy foods. 
• In late April, House Republicans advanced a 2027 appropriations bill that would reduce fresh fruit and vegetable benefits for participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
• A new rule by the USDA also is changing SNAP retailer requirements. As of November 2026, retailers that accept food assistance benefits will have to double the amount of types of foods offered in-store, but public health advocates say it won’t boost healthy options as there are no nutrition requirements tied to the rule. Read more here. 
  • RESOURCE: The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) released “City Playbook: Preparing for the Impacts of H.R. 1/OBBBA on Food Security and Local Economies.” Recent federal SNAP cuts will have an immediate and significant impact on cities and towns, increasing food insecurity, straining local services and budgets, and weakening neighborhood communities.
• Additionally, A new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center analyzes how H.R. 1 (aka the “Big, Ugly Bill”) could accelerate rural hospital closures in the South, identifying 99 hospitals in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi that could be at risk of closing. Between 2005 and 2023, at least 146 rural hospitals across the country stopped offering inpatient services, with 34 located in the Deep South.
  • SPLC will be hosting a virtual briefing for partners and stakeholders to share the report’s findings and recommendations on Thursday, June 4 at 2:00-2:30 PM ET. Please share widely with your networks, members, and colleagues, and RSVP here. 

We hope you find these resources useful. If you have questions, comments, or want to connect so we can strategize on any of these issues, please contact us at [email protected]. We are here to help!