The Reducing Farm Input Costs and Barriers to Domestic Production Act reverses Biden administration regulations
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A group of Republican congresspeople introduced a House bill designed to reduce input costs for American farmers.
Congressman Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.) tabled the Reducing Farm Input Costs and Barriers to Domestic Production Act on June 15.
The bill calls for the reversal of some Biden administration regulations which would benefit U.S. producers.
This includes reversing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) actions related to crop protection tools.
As of February 2022, for example, the EPA revoked all food tolerance for chlorpyrifos, an important insecticide for producers.
Other highlights of the bill include reversing EPA WOTUS changes, rescinding the Securities Exchange Commission’s rule which would require companies to report supply chain emissions, and including phosphate and potash on the U.S. Geological Survey’s list of “critical minerals.”
The actions in the bill would support U.S. farmers, who have the ability to tackle domestic and international food issues.
"The U.S. and the world face a disrupted global food system resulting in increased energy prices, fertilizer cost spikes and shortages, and worsening food scarcities in developing countries,” Thompson said in a statement. “We’re in a crisis moment, and we need concrete, immediate policy actions to help mitigate impacts both at home and abroad. American agriculture, if given the right tools and regulatory confidence, can serve a vital role in alleviating global food instability and mitigating costs for consumers.”
Thompson’s bill comes after nearly 100 Republicans sent a letter to the president on June 13, saying his administration’s “regulatory agenda would further limit American farmers’ ability to meet global food demand,”
Congressman Jake LaTurner (R-Kan.) is among the letter’s signatories and sponsors of Thompson’s bill.
Lawmakers need to pass this legislation to show they stand with American farmers, he said.
“I am proud to support the Reducing Farm Input Costs and Barriers to Domestic Production Act to offer real solutions to the challenges impacting our agriculture industry,” he said, WIBW reported. “This bill will bring down record-high input costs, reverse President Biden’s harmful regulatory burdens, and provide much-needed certainty to the hard-working Americans that feed, fuel, and clothe our nation.”