Food and Agriculture

Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced the Interstate Milk Freedom Act (H.R. 5410) today. This bill prohibits federal interference with the interstate traffic of unpasteurized milk and milk products that are packaged for direct human consumption. It’s legal to drink raw milk in 50 states. It is legal to sell raw milk in 28 states. Congress has never… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today voted to pass H.R. 5038, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, of which she is a cosponsor. The bipartisan bill is  immigration reform legislation designed to support farm businesses who rely on H-2A visas to fill positions in a tight labor market and allow long-time agricultural workers in the U.S. to… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) issued the following statement in light of USDA’s announcement that the Trump administration will tighten work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is estimated to cut benefits for nearly 700,000 recipients: “The Trump administration gave trillion dollar tax cuts to corporations and billionaires, yet they don’t… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Congressman James Comer (R-Ky.) today sent a bipartisan letter signed by 25 members of Congress to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), urging the agency to quickly provide legal clarity and establish a regulatory pathway for food products containing hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD). “During these challenging times for the agricultural… Read more »

Pingree, Newhouse Introduce House Bill to Standardize Food Date Labels, Cut Food Waste WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Dan Newhouse (R-Washington) today introduced the bipartisan Food Date Labeling Act, a bill designed to end consumer confusion around food date labeling and ensure Americans do not throw out perfectly good food. Studies have shown that… Read more »

Today in a Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research Subcommittee hearing of the House Committee on Agriculture, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) questioned United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Marketing and Regulatory Programs Undersecretary Greg Ibach on the National Organic Program and the delay in the origin of livestock rulemaking. “It’s completely unacceptable that… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s plan to relocate hundreds of USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) staff to the Kansas City area: “I am appalled with the Trump administration’s decision to force hundreds of Washington-based USDA research staffers to… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today introduced HR.3220, the Kids Eat Local Act, a bipartisan bill to support local and regional food systems and encourage healthy meal choices among school-aged children. The bill is cosponsored by Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) and Congressman Josh Harder (D-Calif.) “Our children deserve healthy, nutritious lunches that are made with… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced that the full House Appropriations Committee has approved a FY2020 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies spending bill that reverses the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to a range of USDA programs—including several tackling climate change and the unnecessary relocation of key research… Read more »

Today, two cattle-raising lawmakers, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) re-introduced the PRIME (Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption) Act to make it easier for small farms and ranches to serve consumers. The PRIME Act (H.R. 2859/S. 1620) would give individual states freedom to permit intrastate distribution of custom-slaughtered… Read more »