The 2026 farm bill currently progressing through Congress includes several provisions that conflict with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, especially concerning pesticides and factory farming. A less-publicized amendment proposes that tobacco farmers become eligible for increased disaster and emergency funds—an initiative critics argue contradicts public health objectives and MAHA’s commitment to reducing chronic disease rates in the U.S.
Introduced earlier this month by Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.), the amendment aims to allow tobacco farmers access to aid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation. Since the conclusion of the federal tobacco program in 2004, these farmers have been ineligible for such funds.
Rouzer, representing the leading tobacco-producing state in the U.S., described the amendment as a “technical correction” to align with the intentions of the 2004 buyout negotiations, which allocated $10 billion to tobacco farmers over a decade. In contrast, Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) criticized the amendment, arguing that it would revive the government’s capacity to use taxpayer money to promote tobacco consumption and marketing, which she finds inconsistent with the Make America Healthy Again agenda.
Despite objections, the amendment proceeded.
Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy, managing attorney at the nonprofit Action on Smoking and Health, commented via email that while the amendment’s impact might be small, “it amounts to subsidizing a product that kills half a million Americans every year.”
She further explained that tobacco subsidies “lower the cost of finished tobacco products, increasing the likelihood that kids will get addicted and lowering the incentive for adults to quit.”
In addition, tobacco farmers can access other government subsidies, like federal crop insurance, and have continued to receive emergency relief from Congress, as seen with the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, MAHA activists have expressed their concerns regarding provisions that would shield pesticide manufacturers from health-related lawsuits and restrict states from placing health warnings on pesticides. Discontent had already surfaced following President Trump’s executive order to boost production of glyphosate, Roundup’s primary ingredient, which MAHA has frequently criticized for its potential cancer links.
Zen Honeycutt, leading the grassroots MAHA group Moms Across America, stated via email that her organization supports thriving American farmers—“if they are growing crops that do not poison the American people.”
“If they are growing crops that utilize toxic chemicals, no matter what the crops, we urge our elected officials to prioritize supporting these farmers to shift from GMOs and toxic chemicals to regenerative organic farming,” Honeycutt added. “We ask that American farmers growing crops that use vast amounts of agrochemicals such as soy, corn, sugarbeets, tobacco, and cotton reconsider their farming practices and choose to transition to non toxic practices instead.”
Environmental advocates outside the MAHA movement have echoed these concerns. Lauren Borsheim, a food policy analyst at the nonprofit Food & Water Watch, stated via email that “pesticides have been linked to a host of diseases including birth defects and cancers.” She criticized the Farm Bill for reinforcing the use of these toxic chemicals instead of promoting low-input agricultural practices.
Low-input agricultural practices, which minimize the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers and are part of regenerative farming, have found support among both MAHA supporters and the political left due to their potential health and environmental benefits.
Tensions between the MAHA movement, led by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and their Republican allies were anticipated, according to Jessica Knurick, a dietician and noted science communicator. In a recent newsletter, she wrote, “From the beginning, there has been a clear mismatch between the MAHA movement’s rhetoric around environmental toxins and the Trump administration’s long-standing, overt deregulatory agenda.”
Some aspects of the farm bill may align with MAHA supporters’ views. One provision categorizes animal protein as an incentive food under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, allowing stores to offer meat at a discount to food benefit recipients. This aligns with the January-updated dietary guidelines encouraging more protein intake from animals and other sources. While many nutrition experts argue that Americans do not need additional protein, especially from red and processed meats, MAHA supporters often prefer such foods.
Currently with the Senate Agriculture Committee, the farm bill underscores the challenge for politicians balancing the influential agriculture industry with public health goals. Recent government data revealed that U.S. cigarette smoking rates have dropped below 10% for the first time—an important milestone. However, if the tobacco amendment is incorporated into the final bill, it would represent another triumph for an industry thriving under the Trump administration.
“Tobacco is perhaps the only health issue that HHS has ignored under the current administration,” remarked Action on Smoking and Health’s Romeo-Stuppy. “This is stunning because tobacco use is by far the leading cause of avoidable death in the U.S.”
STAT’s coverage of chronic health issues is supported by a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Our financial supporters are not involved in any decisions about our journalism.
