Booker vows legislative action after U.S. Supreme Court sides with Monsanto

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said he will push legislation to reverse a U.S. Supreme Court decision that shields pesticide manufacturers from certain state-law liability claims involving glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup.

Booker made the remarks during a virtual press conference on Thursday hosted by 314 Action and Protect Our Care, following the court’s ruling in favor of Monsanto.

The Supreme Court’s decision effectively blocks many state-law failure-to-warn claims against pesticide manufacturers involving glyphosate, a widely used herbicide that has been the subject of thousands of lawsuits alleging it causes cancer. Monsanto has maintained that glyphosate is safe when used as directed.

Advocates for accountability for pesticide manufacturers and medical experts criticized the decision, arguing it limits legal recourse for people who say they developed cancer after exposure to glyphosate.

“I’m going to lead an amendment to strip away this preemptive authority and return it to the people,” Booker said. “We now need to rally around both sides of the aisle, getting the Senate to act on this farm bill to undo what the Supreme Court did.”

Booker said Congress should restore the ability of people to pursue state-based legal claims and said the issue is about protecting farmers rather than chemical manufacturers.

“We are seeing a crisis in our country, and it’s time that the people prevail, and not the poisoners, the polluters, or the pesticide manufacturers,” Booker said. “This is about empowering farmers, and our farm bill must return to being about farmers.”