🖨️ Print post
Tell Committee to REMOVE Section 453 on Pesticides
Stop Pesticide Immunity Shield
On Tuesday [July 22 at 10:30 a.m.] the House Appropriations Committee will be discussing the “Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill for FY 2026.” This bill contains Section 453 which would block funding for the EPA in approving product labels or taking regulatory action that conflicts with its own, potentially outdated, human health assessments. As a result, product labels could remain locked in place despite new scientific evidence—leaving children and families vulnerable to harmful chemical exposures that may impact fertility and other aspects of long-term health.
The provision also effectively shields companies from legal accountability. By preventing label updates and limiting lawsuits, it removes a key mechanism for holding manufacturers responsible for the safety of their products.
The language of the bill is carefully crafted to avoid directly calling this “immunity”—but the effect is the same: companies would not be held liable for the health consequences of their products. [See page 196].
ACTION TO TAKE
Call members of the House Appropriations Committee and email their staff legislative directors asking that they REMOVE Section 453 of the “Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill for FY 2026.”
Calls are most effective, especially if you are a constituent of a Committee member; see Phone Numbers below. You can copy/paste the block of staff email addresses, and the Talking Points below can be included in your message.
Find your U.S. Representative by entering your address at
https://www.congress.gov/members
Please send a mass email to the legislative directors of the members of the House Appropriations Committee. Copy and paste these emails into the BCC field.
megan.medley@mail.house.gov,madelyn.derks@mail.house.gov,monika.konrad@mail.house.gov,rob.sar@mail.house.gov,jack.lincoln@mail.house.gov,sam.garrison@mail.house.gov,gabrielle.sheitelman@mail.house.gov,nicole.manley@mail.house.gov,dmd@mail.house.gov,chase.starr@mail.house.gov,sofia.deiro@mail.house.gov,gisselle.reynolds@mail.house.gov,ashley.teague@mail.house.gov,owen.dankworth@mail.house.gov,ian.merritt@mail.house.gov,lindsey.mosley@mail.house.gov,kellie.chong@mail.house.gov,milton.robinson@mail.house.gov,travis.trejo@mail.house.gov,nick.bowser@mail.house.gov,matthew.stubeck@mail.house.gov,mary@mail.house.gov,lindsay.linhares@mail.house.gov,james.leavitt@mail.house.gov,edward.kim@mail.house.gov,ryan.rasins@mail.house.gov,chris.macarthur@mail.house.gov,chandler.smith@mail.house.gov,william.reynolds@mail.house.gov,katie.heffernan@mail.house.gov,nick.dilorenzo@mail.house.gov,jack.harrigan@mail.house.gov,kellie.hartl@mail.house.gov,nicholas.runkel@mail.house.gov,ben.vansickle1@mail.house.gov
TALKING POINTS
The way Section 453 works and effectively creates immunity for pesticide manufacturers is complex.
1. Blocks Funding for Label Updates – Section 453 blocks EPA funding for timely label updates when new science emerges such that labels will not carry up-to-date health warnings that would provide informed consent, properly warning consumers of the product’s health risks.
2. Restricts Regulatory Action – Section 453 removes funding for EPA to take the “regulatory action” needed to enforce labeling requirements despite FIFRA’s misbranding provision (7 U.S.C. § 136(q)) that requires companies to provide updated warnings as new science becomes available.
3. Creates “Impossibility Preemption” – When inadequate pesticide labels cause serious injuries and deaths, victims sue companies under state liability laws for failure to warn. Companies must seek EPA approval for warning label changes, but Section 453 (which blocks EPA funding to approve label updates) would make state law compliance impossible. This creates “impossibility preemption,” causing courts to dismiss lawsuits immediately because of the supremacy clause in the U.S. Constitution.
4. Scope: Not Just One Chemical but All Pesticides – Section 453 covers all pesticides registered under FIFRA—over 57,000 currently registered products. It also applies to all FUTURE chemicals registered under FIFRA, including herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and disinfectants as well as common household items like bug spray, disinfectant wipes, and ant traps.
5. Grants Immunity to Both Foreign and Domestic Companies – Section 453 covers all manufacturers, including foreign-owned companies like ChemChina and extends immunity to future companies, enabling them to sell any registered product without liability.
6. Health Impacts – Includes chemicals known to cause cancer (glyphosate), Parkinson’s disease (Paraquat) and disrupt hormones to cause infertility. With infertility on the rise, outdated labels will fail to warn families in time. Raises the question: What harmful chemicals will companies or foreign actors bring to market when they know they are immune from lawsuits?
WAPF will be sending out future alerts on the pesticide liability shield as events warrant.
COMMITTEE PHONE NUMBERS
If you are a constituent of any member of the House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, calls from you would be most effective. Please mention if you are a constituent of a committee member when calling or emailing.
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL-4) (202) 225-4876
Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO-4) (202) 225-2876
Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV-2) (202) 225-6155
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK-5) (202) 225-2132
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA-41) (202) 225-1986
Rep. John Carter (R-TX-31) (202) 225-3864
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-6) (202) 225-2542
Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA-6) (202) 225-5431
Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX-27) (202) 225-7742
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA-9) (202) 225-9893
Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK-4) (202) 225-6165
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-26) (202) 225-4211
Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC-11) (202) 225-6401
Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX-6) (202) 225-2002
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-3) (202) 225-3271
Rep. Scott Franklin (R-FL-18) (202) 225-1252
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23) (202) 225-4511
Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS-3) (202) 225-5031
Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD-1) (202) 225-5311
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA-2) (202) 225-2911
Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH-14) (202) 225-5731
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY-1) (202) 225-3826
Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA-5) (202) 225-8490
Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT-2) (202) 225-9730
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI-2) (202) 225-3561
Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV-2) (202) 225-2711
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA-4) (202) 225-5816
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14) (202) 225-2065
Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY-5) (202) 225-4601
Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL-5) (202) 225-2501
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID-2) (202) 225-5531
Rep. Dale Strong (R-AL-5) (202) 225-4801
Rep. David Valadao (R-CA-22) (202) 225-4695
Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR-3) (202) 225-4301
Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT-1) (202) 225-5628
LINKS
House Appropriations Committee: https://appropriations.house.gov/
Bill link, see page 196: https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-appropriations.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fy26-interior%2C-environment%2C-and-related-agencies-bill-text.pdf
🖨️ Print post
Leave feedback about this