“We’ve seen this immunity playbook before. Companies do not seek legal shields unless they fear what full transparency and accountability might reveal.” –Dr. Joseph Varon
The Independent Medical Alliance (IMA), the nation’s leading coalition of independent physicians, healthcare providers, and medical researchers, today praised Congress for scrapping a provision from the EPA appropriations bill that would have granted pesticide manufacturers immunity from lawsuits stemming from harm caused by their products.
“If pesticides are harming Americans through the food supply, there must be accountability,” said IMA President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joseph Varon. “The quiet insertion of an immunity clause tells the public everything it needs to know. Companies do not seek legal shields unless they fear what full transparency and accountability might reveal.”
The provision, SECTION 453 of the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, was added last year and then removed this week following mounting pressure from consumer advocates and healthcare reform organizations, including IMA. Critics warned the language would have insulated chemical manufacturers from liability while stripping Americans of their ability to seek recourse for real and documented health harms.
“We’ve seen this immunity playbook before,” Varon concluded. “The result was the careless deployment of mRNA technologies that continue to fuel serious health issues for millions of Americans. Congress was right to stop history from repeating itself.”
