Comer Announces Full Committee Roundtable on Lawfare Against America’s Farmers and Ranchers

WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) will hold a full committee roundtable titled “Farming on Trial: A Roundtable on the Growing Use of Lawfare Against American Agriculture.” This roundtable will examine how courts and litigation are increasingly shaping farm policy, with lawsuits and settlements driving regulatory outcomes rather than transparent, accountable lawmaking. Members will hear directly from farmers and producers who have confronted agricultural lawfare firsthand and examine how laws are being applied to the agricultural industry in ways Congress did not intend, creating uncertainty, increasing compliance costs, and placing added burdens on American farmers and ranchers.

“As Kentucky’s former Commissioner of Agriculture, I understand the challenges farmers and ranchers across this country face as they contend with increasing pressure and rising compliance costs as laws are applied to the agricultural industry in ways Congress never intended. The House Oversight Committee is now taking a hard look at how courts and litigation are increasingly shaping farm policy through processes that sidestep transparent, accountable lawmaking. What should be fair and consistent enforcement has, in too many cases, turned into federal overreach that places unnecessary burdens on those who feed our nation. This roundtable will provide Congress the opportunity to hear in-depth testimony directly from local farmers and producers who have confronted agricultural lawfare head-on. I look forward to discussing legislative solutions to ensure federal laws and regulations are not weaponized against our small and family-owned farms,” said Chairman James Comer.

WHAT: Roundtable titled “Farming on Trial: A Roundtable on the Growing Use of Lawfare Against American Agriculture”

DATE: Tuesday, April 21, 2026

TIME: 10:00 AM EST

LOCATION: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building 

PARTICIPANTS:

• Mr. Marty Jackley, Attorney General, South Dakota
• Mr. Shad Sullivan, Private Property Rights Committee Chair, R-CALF USA
• Ms. Margaret Byfield, Executive Director, American Stewards of Liberty
  

The roundtable will be livestreamed online at https://oversight.house.gov/.