Rep. Lauren Underwood Delivers Remarks at Agriculture Subcommittee Markup to Highlight How Republicans are Increasing Costs for Farmers and Rural Communities

During today’s House Appropriations subcommittee markup of the 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development,  Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies funding bill, Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14) delivered the following remarks: 

"“Mr. Chairman, I strongly oppose the Fiscal Year 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, and FDA Appropriations bill we are considering today. 

While the Trump Administration and my Republican colleagues on this Committee like to talk about reducing chronic disease and protecting children’s health, their actions speak louder.   

With the dangerous funding cuts in this bill, they are turning their backs on working families, rural communities, and public health.  

At a time when tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in America and poses a grave threat to American youth – with over 2 million middle and high school students reporting tobacco use in 2024 – we should be prioritizing the data-driven public health investments that are proven to work, not undermining FDA’s power to regulate Big Tobacco. 

This bill is yet another example of the Trump Administration’s focus destroying the tools that help FDA hold Big Tobacco accountable to the American people.  

This bill is so extreme that it even blocks FDA from finalizing a commonsense rule to ensure that tobacco products are not contaminated with foreign substances like glass, fingernails, rocks, direct, and mold.   

If my Republican colleagues cannot even take a stand against cigarettes with fingernails in them, then their position is clear -- they are not willing to regulate the President’s friends and donors in the tobacco industry and they are not serious about protecting public health.  

So instead of devoting FDA resources to regulating tobacco, this bill proposes to waste agency resources—and taxpayer funds—on an unnecessary review of mifepristone. 

We already have decades of evidence showing that mifepristone is a safe and effective medication that safeguards women’s health and lives.  

Medical experts describe mifepristone as among the safest medications being used today.   

Yet FDA Commissioner Makary has recently “committed to conducting a review of mifepristone,” and this bill includes report language supporting this wasteful review that is based on fraudulent junk science.  

So, let’s be honest about what this bill does. It’s not going to make women safer. It’s a waste of taxpayer resources and another attack from this Administration on our bodily autonomy.  

Throughout this appropriations process, we have heard so much about using federal dollars wisely, controlling costs, and supporting everyday Americans. 

Yet another way that this bill fails to deliver on those goals is by flat-funding the WIC program despite rising costs for the mothers and children who rely on it. 

WIC is one of the most cost-effective public health programs we have. If my Republican colleagues actually cared about government efficiency, they would invest in programs like WIC that we know improve health outcomes for families.  

Instead, this bill reverses the progress we have made on child nutrition and puts eligible moms and kids on waiting lists. That’s not efficient—it's just irresponsible. 

This bill slashes the cash-value benefits for fruits and vegetables, cutting access to healthy food for children during their most critical growth years while hurting American farmers. 

Under this bill, a toddler’s fruit and veggie benefit is lower than it was last year. That’s not fiscal discipline—it’s nutritional sabotage. You don’t balance a budget on the backs of babies.  

Let’s be clear: this isn’t saving money long-term. When we deny healthy food to pregnant moms and young kids, we increase the risk of preterm birth, developmental delays, and chronic illness. That’s more hospital visits, higher Medicaid costs, and worse outcomes for families.  

WIC needs to be fully funded—not frozen—and benefits need to reflect the science. That’s what the families we represent deserve.  

So I urge my colleagues to reject this misguided bill, and to work together on a smarter funding plan that genuinely supports American families and protects public health"