Republican lawmakers and agriculture industry officials on Friday criticized a federal health department report commissioned by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr that found two weed killers widely used by farmers could be linked to chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and asthma.
The report, by the Make America Healthy Again Commission, singled out glyphosate and atrazine in particular. The commission, known by the acronym MAHA, cited mostly preliminary data as evidence that these and other pesticides were linked to an increase in chronic conditions.
Representative Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania and Senator John Boozman of Arkansas, both Republicans, released a statement on Friday saying, “We are troubled by the initial findings of the MAHA commission assessment and their impact on America’s farmers and ranchers.”
The two lawmakers stressed it was “imperative” that the commission adhere to the “risk-based and scientific processes set forth by Congress,” which include prioritizing sound science, peer-reviewed research and securing buy-in from the agriculture industry.
There was no immediate response to requests for comment from the White House or the Department of Health and Human Services.
The statement marked the first public sign of friction between Republican lawmakers and Mr. Kennedy. President Trump has instructed the health secretary to “go wild on health” as he tried to overhaul the American food and health industries in alignment with his sometimes unconventional views on medicine and nutrition.
Melissa Furlong, an epidemiologist who studies environmental contaminants at the University of Arizona, said the preliminary data linking the two pesticides to chronic health problems was troubling enough to justify more investigation. “The science is not a slam dunk for either of these pesticides,’ she said, “but there is enough preliminary evidence to suggest that we should probably be putting more resources into studying them.”
While the commission’s report stopped short of calling the chemicals “unsafe,” the suggestion that they were linked to adverse health outcomes was enough to infuriate industry groups representing farmers and producers.
In a lengthy statement issued Thursday, the American Soybean Association criticized the report as “brazenly unscientific,” “misleading” and full of “glaring misinformation and anti-farmer findings.” The group also complained it had been blindsided because Mr. Kennedy had reassured Senator Cindy Hyde Smith, Republican of Mississippi, at a hearing earlier this week that “not a single word” in the report should “worry the American farmer.”
Alan Meadows, the soybean association’s director, said in a statement that activists had already filed a number of lawsuits he considers baseless and aimed at stopping the use of pesticides. By arbitrarily singling out the two herbicides, he said, “the administration has offered activists a gift on a silver platter.”
The Corn Refiners Association, which represents manufacturers of products such as high fructose corn syrup, cornstarch and corn oil, said that the report “sows mistrust and unfounded fear” in the country’s food supply. The group said that the commission had given farmers and agricultural companies little opportunity to present their views.
“The American people were promised a process of radical transparency and stakeholder engagement,” the corn refiners said in a statement Thursday. “In the development of this important report, transparency and stakeholder engagement did not happen at all.”
Some agriculture trade groups expressed alarm that the report also targeted refined seed oils, including those made from corn and soybeans. The report called seed oils nutrient poor and suggested, without providing evidence, that they contributed to “inflammation” in the human body. It recommended using animal-based fats like lard, tallow and butter instead.
“Significant research conducted over decades shows that plant-based oils are low in saturated fats and can improve health outcomes,” the soybean association said. The group cited a March study from the Journal of the American Medical Association that found frequent consumption of plant-based oils led to reduced rates of cancer, heart disease and other illnesses as compared to alternatives that are high in saturated fat.
The agricultural groups warned that, should the administration restrict or ban the use of seed oils, it would shrink the domestic market for soybeans, corn and other oilseeds at a time when those products are being hit with retaliatory tariffs in China and other countries because of the president’s trade war.
Knvul Sheikh contributed reporting.
Maya C. Miller covers Congress as part of the Times Newsroom Fellowship, a program for journalists early in their careers. She is based in Washington.
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