“For years, Mike Rogers voted to loosen pesticide restrictions, weaken food-safety rules”

LANSING — New reporting from The Detroit Metro Times exposes corrupt multimillionaire Mike Rogers’ years-long record of voting to “loosen pesticide restrictions [and] weaken food safety rules” as Big Ag bankrolled his campaigns and political committees to the tune of nearly $650,000.

While in Congress, Rogers consistently took positions that now “put him at odds with Make America Healthy Again, an influential movement of Trump supporters who want tougher limits on pesticides and chemicals, healthier food, stronger scrutiny of Big Food and Big Agriculture, and a greater focus on preventing chronic disease.”

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Detroit Metro Times: Mike Rogers spent years voting against priorities now championed by MAHA

• For years, Mike Rogers voted to loosen pesticide restrictions, weaken food-safety rules, and protect major food and agriculture companies.

• Those positions put him at odds with Make America Healthy Again, an influential movement of Trump supporters who want tougher limits on pesticides and chemicals, healthier food, stronger scrutiny of Big Food and Big Agriculture, and a greater focus on preventing chronic disease.

• That divide has become increasingly relevant as some MAHA supporters grow frustrated with President Trump and congressional Republicans, particularly over pesticides. The Trump administration has approved new pesticides and backed continued production of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, prompting complaints from activists who expected Trump to crack down on chemical exposure.

• The frustration is creating an opening for Democrats, and Rogers’ opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, is making a direct appeal to those voters.

• El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit health director, released a “Building a Healthier America” plan in September that calls for reducing pesticide use, breaking up corporate concentration in agriculture, holding chemical companies accountable, removing contaminants from drinking water, and putting healthier and less-processed food in schools.

• Rogers’ congressional record runs in the opposite direction on many of those issues.

• In 2013, Rogers voted for a massive government spending bill that included a provision critics dubbed the “Monsanto Protection Act.” The provision limited the ability of courts to halt the planting of certain genetically engineered crops while federal regulatory reviews were underway.

• Rogers voted in support of the act, which passed the House 318-109.

• The provision was especially controversial because it benefited companies such as Monsanto, which developed genetically engineered seeds and later became the manufacturer most closely associated with Roundup. Critics said the measure effectively gave biotechnology companies temporary protection from legal challenges involving their seeds.

• Pesticides were a recurring issue during Rogers’ years in Congress.

• In 2011, Rogers voted for legislation that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency or states from requiring Clean Water Act permits for the use of federally approved pesticides in or near navigable waterways. The bill passed 292-130, with Rogers voting yes.

• Three years later, he voted for similar legislation. The measure passed 267-161.

• During debate on that bill, Rogers also voted against an amendment that would have maintained stricter regulations on pesticides known or suspected to cause cancer, harm children, or be used in areas with higher cancer rates.

• A Metro Times review of Rogers’ congressional record found seven votes to advance or pass legislation reducing pesticide regulations, including procedural votes.

• Some of those votes date back to 2005, when Rogers supported legislation that exempted pesticides from certain environmental reviews under the Endangered Species Act. Critics at the time warned the provision would weaken safeguards against hazardous pesticides.

• Rogers also took aim at state food-safety laws.

• In 2005, he introduced the National Uniformity for Food Act, which would have barred states from imposing certain food-safety labeling and warning requirements that differed from federal standards.

• The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the legislation could preempt at least 200 state laws, according to records reviewed by Metro Times. The bill passed the House in 2006, with Rogers voting yes, but never became law.

• Rogers also voted against an amendment that would have allowed states to require warnings about cancer, birth defects, reproductive health risks, and certain allergic reactions associated with foods.

• Four years later, Rogers voted against the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, one of the largest overhauls of the nation’s food-safety system in decades.

• The law expanded FDA inspections and access to food-processing records and gave the agency new authority to order mandatory recalls of contaminated food. Rogers joined 135 other Republicans in voting against it. The measure passed 215-144.

• Rogers also opposed legislation aimed at making school meals healthier.

• In 2010, he voted against the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which established new nutrition standards for school meals, expanded access to food programs, strengthened food-safety protections, and provided money for school gardens and locally sourced food.

• The bill passed 264-157, with Rogers voting no.

• Those goals closely resemble some of the ideas now promoted by MAHA activists and El-Sayed. El-Sayed’s plan calls for scratch-cooking kitchens in schools, less reliance on heavily processed foods, and more purchasing from local farmers.

• Rogers also sided with the fast-food industry when Congress considered legislation protecting restaurants from lawsuits blaming them for obesity. He argued at the time that people, rather than restaurants, should be responsible for their dietary choices.

• His positions came as agribusiness interests were contributing heavily to his campaigns.

• From 1999 through July 2026, Rogers received $647,509 from the agribusiness industry, including $362,237 from individuals and $285,272 from political action committees, according to OpenSecrets data reviewed by Metro Times.

• More than half of that money has come during his two U.S. Senate campaigns. Agribusiness interests contributed $268,729 during the 2024 cycle and another $86,008 through July of this year.

• The political landscape around those issues has changed considerably since Rogers left the House in 2015.

• MAHA has helped bring concerns about pesticides, chemical additives, ultra-processed food, and corporate influence into Republican politics. A KFF poll this spring found that 41% of American adults identified as MAHA supporters, with support concentrated among Republicans and MAGA voters. Large majorities of MAHA supporters said there was too little regulation of pesticides and chemical additives in food.

• But some activists say Trump and Republicans have failed to deliver on those promises. The dispute over pesticides has become particularly intense, with MAHA supporters criticizing the administration for approving new chemicals and defending access to glyphosate.

• In announcing his Building a Healthier America plan, El-Sayed said, “Through my time as a public health doctor, I’ve seen the catastrophic consequences of our country’s food safety crisis up close. Corporations care more about their bottom line than the health of their consumers. In the Senate, I will fight to get toxins out of our food, prioritize local farmers over corporate monopolies, and guarantee clean water for all.”

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