House Republicans Reject Pettersen’s Amendments to Protect Colorado Farmers, Families, and Wildfire Response

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen released the following statement after House Republicans blocked her commonsense amendments to the Farm Bill that would have helped Colorado farmers, strengthened Colorado's wildfire response efforts, and protected states from devastating SNAP cuts.

"Farmers in Colorado can barely keep their heads above water - between Donald Trump's illegal tariffs and his unauthorized war in Iran causing the cost of everything, including fertilizer, food, and fuel, to skyrocket. This misguided piece of legislation does nothing to address any of these urgent crises that are bankrupting families and farmers.

"Instead, Republicans are giving big corporations the greenlight to destroy our forests, pollute our waters, and harm our children. We in Colorado are already feeling the disastrous impacts of the climate crisis every single day, from the increased wildfires to non-existent snowpack and historic drought. And this is only going to get worse in coming years, putting at risk the land that supports our farmers and ranchers, feeds us all, and powers our economy.

"I'm deeply disappointed - but not surprised - that Republicans wouldn't even hold a vote on these commonsense measures to make sure our kids have food on the plate, our farmers can get relief, and our future generations can continue to enjoy the places we love for years to come."

Every five years, Congress traditionally reauthorizes the Farm Bill on a bipartisan basis to support farmers, strengthen our food supply, and help families put food on the table. Instead, Republicans forced through a bill that fails to address the real challenges farmers and ranchers are facing, locks in Donald Trump's cuts to food assistance, and protects multi-billion-dollar pesticide companies from accountability for serious health issues including cancer.

Specifically, Pettersen's amendments would have:

• Required the United States Forest Service to maintain staffing levels needed for wildfire mitigation and response, including personnel with Incident Qualification Cards ("red cards") and employees who support wildfire prevention and emergency response efforts.

• Directed the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to calculate financial losses farmers have faced as a result of tariffs imposed on or after January 20, 2025, and ensure producers are compensated for those losses.

• Delayed implementation of SNAP administrative cost shifts to states in Trump's Big Ugly Bill until harmful work requirements impacting veterans, people experiencing homelessness, former foster youth, adults ages 55-64, and parents of school-aged children are repealed.

• Authorized the USDA to fund modern private-sector weather tools so farmers and foresters can better prepare for and reduce damage from extreme weather like droughts, floods, and wildfires.

A full summary of House Republicans' Farm Bill can be found HERE.