WASHINGTON – Ahead of the midterm elections, the "Make America Healthy Again" movement that was key toPresident Donald Trump's return to the White House is causing friction within the Republican Party.
The emerging political fracture is already jeopardizing a critical piece of legislation that farmers across the country are awaiting. And it could have larger consequences for the GOP's control of Congress.
The evolving dynamic was on full displayoutside the Supreme Court on April 27, when a group of activists protested a case about shielding pesticide companies from cancer lawsuits. The justices appeared divided over whether Bayer, the manufacturer of the weedkiller Roundup, should be protected from billions of dollars in potential liability. The Trump administration has backed Bayer in court, yielding pushback from notable MAHA figures.
Protestors gather outside the Supreme Court as the Justices hearing arguments in Monsanto Company v. Durnell, on April 27, 2026, in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court will decide whether to block thousands of lawsuits alleging Monsanto failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller could cause cancer.
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Protesters rally outside Supreme Court amid Monsanto weedkiller case
Read more:Supreme Court divided on Roundup cancer lawsuits
As activists rallied on the steps of the court, their debates mirrored ones that Republicans in Congress have been having for weeks on virtually the same issue. Rural lawmakers have been actively pushing to include a pro-pesticide provision in the upcoming farm bill. However, their more MAHA-oriented colleagues want no part of such an effort. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, even introduced an amendment to strip what she calls the "pesticide loophole" from the legislation.
"South Carolina farmers, families, and communities deserve better," sheposted on social media.
Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Chip Roy of Texas are among the other conservatives who are openly at odds with some of their other GOP colleagues. Luna said the farm bill "must be stopped."
"I think big ag needs to be body-checked," said Roy, who stressed the importance of warning labels for potential carcinogens and noted a cancer survivor himself. "That labeling issue is very real."
Several MAHA organizers told USA TODAY they've been discouraged with the state of their movement in a Republican-led Washington. Nora Kemmerer, a health care worker from northern Virginia who was donning a red MAHA hat, wouldn't commit to voting for GOP candidates in November.
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"We'll see what happens," she said. "I don't know how I'm voting as of right now . . . I'm frustrated."
MAHA vs. pesticide companies
It's not the first time an effort to shield pesticide companies from liability has quietly shown up in important legislation this year.
The same contentious provision drew outrage in January,when it nearly derailed a government funding bill. Ultimately, opposition from MAHA activists killed it – until a few months later, when it was included in the farm bill.
Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pennsylvania, the chair of the House Committee on Agriculture, has said new investment in American agriculture is overdue. During a congressional hearing on April 27, he insisted the controversial section of the bill wasn't a "liability shield."
"The language that we have basically addresses what our farmers need," he said, insisting that it struck the right balance between consumer protections and agricultural reforms.
Thompson's comments defending the provision prompted fierce criticism from across the aisle, including from Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts.
"Big companies want this desperately," McGovern said.
Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:A MAHA mutiny could reshape the farm bill – and the midterm elections