Washington, DC – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley applauded the news that the Monsanto Protection Act would expire under the provisions of the Continuing Resolution being drafted by Senate Democrats.
“This is a victory for all those who think special interests shouldn’t get special deals. This secret rider, which was slipped into a must-pass spending bill earlier this year, instructed the Secretary of Agriculture to allow GMO crops to be cultivated and sold even when our courts had found they posed a potential risk to farmers of nearby crops, the environment, and human health. I applaud the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have worked hard to end this diabolical provision.”
After constituents brought their concerns to Senator Merkley at town hall meetings in March, he waged a campaign against the Monsanto Protection Act, leading an online petition and offering an amendment to the farm bill that would have killed it. After his amendment was blocked, Senator Merkley worked with legislative leaders to seek to ensure that the provision would expire at the end of the month.
The Continuing Resolution passed by the House last week would extend the Monsanto Protection Act.
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