Trump DOJ Backs Monsanto, Draws Fire from MAHA Advocates

U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington D.C.

The Trump DOJ has filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Monsanto. The filing would block lawsuits in state courts for failing to warn the public about significant cancer risks associated with their Roundup weed killer. This move could anger Trump’s allies in the Make America Healthy Again movement (MAHA), most notably Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The brief is supporting Monsanto’s efforts to block lawsuits claiming damages for exposure to the chemical glyphosate, the active ingredient that is commonly sprayed on all genetically modified crops, including nearly all corn grown in the US.

The brief stated “For decades, EPA has classified glyphosate as a chemical that is not likely to be carcinogenic in humans, and the agency has approved hundreds of labels for Roundup and other glyphosate-based products without requiring a cancer warning.” By asking that the Court hear the case, they are indicating that the state courts do not have the authority to levy fines against Monsanto because the EPA approvals supersede state-level labeling laws requiring warnings.

This action stands in stark contrast to many public statements and actions made by Trump’s HHS Secretary RFK Jr. who is a long-term critic of glyphosate. As a private attorney in 2018, he won a judgment of $289M against Monsanto, arguing that glyphosate was responsible for causing his client to contract Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. And as HHS secretary, he marshalled the May 2025 MAHA Commission report which stated "The cumulative effect of multiple chemical exposures and impact on children over time is not fully understood".

Given MAGA’s focus on creating prosperous market conditions for the American farmer, Kennedy himself seems to be treading a political tightrope. Despite his historic opposition to glyphosate, and prior to the MAHA report, Kennedy told the Senate Appropriations Committee that he had stated "repeatedly throughout this process, that we cannot take any step that will put a single farmer in this country out of business,". He added, "There's a million farmers who rely on glyphosate… We are not going to do anything to jeopardize that business model." This has frustrated some MAHA supporters. Zen Honeycutt, founder of Moms Across America and a children’s health advocate, was critical, saying “Clearly we have a long ways to go in educating many of the members of this administration, because we know that statement is not what Kennedy alone would have issued. That has been influenced by the chemical industry.”

The challenged verdict involves a John Durnell, a Missouri man who was awarded $1.25 million in 2024 in a state court because he developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using Roundup for decades. That award has been challenged by Bayer, who bought Monsanto in 2018, and they have appealed the jury decision. This pending case is the subject of the DOJ’s amicus brief.

While Trump’s political opponents have been silent on this issue, the efforts of the DOJ to protect Monsanto against lawsuits has drawn sharp criticism from some advocacy groups. Food & Water Watch Staff Attorney Dani Replogle stated, “The Trump Administration’s filing encourages the Supreme Court to slam judiciary doors in the faces of cancer patients across the country. No political posturing can undo the clear message this brief sends to sick Americans harmed by toxic pesticides: Trump has Bayer’s back, not theirs.”

Unraveling the intricacies of all the laws and regulations the food industry has been lobbying for all these years is a task worthy of Alexander the Great, who sliced through the original Gordian Knot. It will take time.

While the EPA certainly does have the authority to regulate labeling for pesticides, one should ask why the Trump DOJ took this action, and what it bodes for the future of the EPA. Since HHS chief Kennedy was a strident critic of the chemical industry for decades as an environmental attorney, it will be interesting to see what level of influence he can muster over the administration's environmental regulatory arm. He’s shaking up both Big Pharma and the factory food industry through the FDA. Many are concerned about ubiquitous exposure to toxic chemicals in our food. Let’s hope that the government will be able to find a balance between supporting the economics of the food production industry while still ensuring that we hold the chemical industry accountable for giving us an untainted food supply.