California wants to ban our bacon? Not on my watch.

California is home to high taxes, billion dollar boondoggles, and a liberal agenda.

Clearly, the folks there shouldn’t be calling the shots on anything, let alone our farms.

Iowa’s dedicated producers rise before the rooster crows and toil in the fields long after dark to keep our great state number one in corn, eggs, ethanol, and of course, pork.

Our farmers go “whole hog” for their animals, prioritizing their safety and going the extra mile to uphold health standards. No one knows agriculture like Iowans do.

That’s why I can’t stay silent while radical coastal elites, who have likely never set foot on a farm and produce less than 1% of the nation’s pork, try to dictate how Iowans raise our livestock.

Back in 2018, liberal California voters passed Proposition 12, a state ballot measure that prohibits the sale of pork, eggs, and veal that are not produced according to their standards. The arbitrary requirements were developed without input from farmers, veterinarians, food safety, or production experts – the people who know pigs best!

Since then, far-left activists have launched a misinformation campaign about the measure peppered with dishonesty.

They conveniently ignore the fact that compliance with their outlandish standards would require the majority of our farmers to undergo a complete renovation of nearly all their hog facilities, which is estimated to cost a whopping $3,400 to $4,000 per sow.

From the barnyard to the grocery store, no one should have to bear the burden of more needless expenses.

Iowa family and independent farms can’t foot the bill for this exorbitant retrofitting. They will be forced to sell or consolidate their operations and driven out of business in favor of big, multinational companies – all to meet the demands of a small group of folks in a single state.

Activists have also asserted that overturning Proposition 12 would benefit China. Yet, when pressed, no one has been able to articulate exactly how California dictating farm practices to producers in other states protects the domestic food supply from China. Such baseless claims do nothing but diminish the true threat China poses to American agriculture.

The truth is, if Congress fails to act, it’s small, family-owned American farms that stand to lose the most.

While the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the California law, brought on behalf of thousands of producers in 2023, their decision opened the door for Congressional action.

Congress has the power to regulate commerce but has yet to enact legislation to displace Proposition 12. I brought this critical gap to the attention of Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins during her confirmation process and secured her partnership for dismantling Proposition 12.

That’s why I’m introducing the Food Security and Farm Protection Act which would accept the Supreme Court’s invitation for Congress to strike down Proposition 12 and prohibit state or local governments from interfering with agriculture production in other states outside their jurisdiction.

It’s not just commonsense, it’s the commerce clause of the Constitution!

Individual states should not be able to regulate industries outside of their borders. Iowans wouldn’t dream of telling Californians how to grow their almonds or cook their kale.

Our pork producers have dedicated their lives to providing our nation with a healthy source of protein at a price that hardworking families can afford – all while going above and beyond to care for their animals and the land.

Proposition 12 is dangerous overregulation that stands in direct opposition to Iowans’ way of life, increases costs for consumers, and compromises our nation’s food security. I’m leading the charge to strike down this harmful initiative that threatens American agriculture.

California wants to ban our bacon? Not on my watch.

Originally published in Washington Examiner