WASHINGTON — The United States Department of Agriculture is assisting the Department of Education in its investigation of California and the state&#8217;s law prohibiting school officials from sharing a child&#8217;s &#8220;gender identity&#8221; with parents, The Daily Wire has learned.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins informed California Governor Gavin Newsom of the move in a letter sent Thursday evening, first obtained by The Daily Wire.
&#8220;This is to inform you that, at the direction of President Donald J. Trump, the United States Department of Agriculture is undertaking a review of its research and other education-related funding in California for compliance with the Constitution, federal laws including Titles VI and IX, and the priorities of the Trump Administration,&#8221; Rollins wrote.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-usda-investigating-california-for-transitioning-kids-hiding-gender-identity/screenshot-2025-03-27-at-8-11-11-pm" rel="attachment wp-att-899331"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-899331 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-8.11.11%E2%80%AFPM-467x576.png" alt="" width="467" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-8.11.11%E2%80%AFPM-467x576.png 467w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-8.11.11%E2%80%AFPM-243x300.png 243w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-8.11.11%E2%80%AFPM-768x947.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-8.11.11%E2%80%AFPM.png 1070w" sizes="(max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px" /></a>
The USDA secretary told Newsom that her department will be working with other agencies and departments to ensure that California is in compliance with the United States Constitution, federal laws (including Titles VI and IX), and President Donald Trump&#8217;s priorities.
Specifically, USDA is supporting the Education Department&#8217;s investigation into the California Department of Education for violations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
&#8220;As the ED reported today, FERPA gives parents the right to access their children’s education records, but the California Department of Education has allegedly abdicated the responsibilities FERPA imposes, due to a new California state law that prohibits school personnel from disclosing records about a child’s &#8216;gender identity&#8217; to that child’s parent,&#8221; Rollins wrote.
<div id="attachment_899327" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-usda-investigating-california-for-transitioning-kids-hiding-gender-identity/us-politics-trump-cabinet-6" rel="attachment wp-att-899327"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-899327" class="wp-image-899327 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206206722-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206206722-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206206722-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206206722-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206206722.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins (2nd L) speaks as US President Donald Trump hosts a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 24, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)</div>
&#8220;USDA will support ED’s investigation and efforts to vigorously protect parents’ rights and ensure that students do not fall victim to a radical transgender ideology that often leads to family alienation and irreversible medical interventions,&#8221; she added, noting: &#8220;Similarly, we will be reviewing our federal funding with respect to other related matters under investigation.&#8221;
The move comes hours after the Education Department&#8217;s Student Privacy Policy Office announced an investigation into the California Department of Education (CDE) for &#8220;alleged violations&#8221; of FERPA, which &#8220;gives parents the right to access their children’s educational data.&#8221;
The Education Department said Thursday that CDE has &#8220;abdicated the responsibilities FERPA imposes&#8221; due to California&#8217;s law prohibiting school officials from sharing information about a child&#8217;s supposed &#8220;gender identity&#8221; with parents. In a release, the department said that it has reason to believe that numerous local educational agencies in California may be violating FERPA as they socially transition kids in school and hide their activities from parents.
Given the number of local educational agencies involved, the Education Department said, it is concerned that CDE is playing a role in the &#8220;widespread adoption of these practices.&#8221;
“Teachers and school counselors should not be in the business of advising minors entrusted to their care on consequential decisions about their sexual identity and mental health. That responsibility and privilege lies with a parent or trusted loved one,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement on Thursday. “It is not only immoral but also potentially in contradiction with federal law for California schools to hide crucial information about a student’s wellbeing from parents and guardians.&#8221;
&#8220;The agency launched today’s investigation to vigorously protect parents’ rights and ensure that students do not fall victim to a radical transgender ideology that often leads to family alienation and irreversible medical interventions,&#8221; she added.

US-ECONOMY-MILKEN

EXCLUSIVE: USDA Investigating California For Transitioning Kids, Hiding Gender Identity

Agriculture

brooke rollins

California

Department of Education

General

U.S.

USDA

A lobbyist for the American Heart Association turned heads last week when he asked Texas Republicans not to exclude soda, ultra-processed deserts, and candy from the list of items that can be bought with food stamps, despite the fact that the medical group has for years warned that such foods cause heart disease.
The testimony seemingly prioritized a left-wing opposition to welfare reform over the group&#8217;s mission and expertise — similar to scientists who said during COVID that mass gatherings were dangerous unless they were Black Lives Matter rallies, contributing to a dramatic loss of trust in medical experts. The testimony by Alec Puente, <a href="https://newsroom.heart.org/file/yama-and-alec?action=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">director of government relations</a> for AHA, was so surprising that state Sen. Lois W. Kolkhorst (R), chair of the Committee on Health and Human Services, repeatedly wondered if AHA could truly be taking the position.
“I often say I can never be surprised in this building, but for the American Heart Association to be against this bill, that might be the surprise of the session so far,&#8221; Sen. Kolkhorst said. &#8220;I would encourage you to look at what it restricts. I don&#8217;t know if y&#8217;all&#8217;s board voted on that.”
But now, AHA has retracted the testimony, with spokesman Steve Weiss telling The Daily Wire that “The Association’s position on Texas Senate Bill 379 was miscommunicated during the TX Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearing last week. The Association is not opposed to the bill, which would restrict purchases of sugary drinks and certain other unhealthy foods within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).”
“The miscommunication at the hearing from our representative, who is based in Texas, was unfortunate. We have corrected the record and worked to ensure this will not happen again,” Weiss said via email. “The Association remains committed to increasing the consumption of healthy food and decreasing the consumption of sugary drinks across our mission-critical work in scientific research, public policy and public awareness.”
He would not explain how the organization’s lobbyist managed to inadvertently <a href="https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/witlistmtg/pdf/C6102025031113301.PDF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">register in advance</a> specifically to testify against the bill, travel to the state capitol, and provide written and oral testimony that was the exact opposite of the organization’s mission. According to the Texas committee&#8217;s list of registered witnesses, Puente was joined by Walmart in opposing the law, while representatives from the Texas Radiological Society, Texas Medical Association, Make Texans Healthy Again, and End Chronic Disease showed up to support it.
Soda is the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-can-food-stamps-buy-junk-food-how-doge-could-save-billions-and-maha">single most frequently purchased item with food stamps</a>, despite the program&#8217;s stated goal of increasing nutrition for Americans. The AHA has lobbied cities to heavily <a href="https://newsroom.heart.org/local-news/measure-z-passes-in-berkeley-and-santa-cruz-to-support-safe-and-healthy-communities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tax soda</a> to disincentivize workers from purchasing it, but Puente told the Texas legislators that tax dollars should continue to buy soda outright for those on welfare.
“While improving Texans&#8217; diet is a shared goal, the heart association is concerned about potential impacts of this bill on participation and population health,” <a href="https://senate.texas.gov/videoplayer.php?vid=21315&amp;lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Puente testified</a>. “Policies intended to reduce obesity should be focused on the population as a whole rather than singling out SNAP participants. While we know that SNAP is meant to be a supplement, healthy fruits and vegetables remain out of reach for many, and this will not change until benefit adequacy is addressed.&#8221;
He advocated for SNAP benefits to be increased while still permitting them to be spent on junk food, which he said would result in more purchases of fruit.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-611453" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/20230829_104856-768x576.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/20230829_104856-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/20230829_104856-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/20230829_104856-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/20230829_104856-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></div>
“I certainly understand why that might be surprising,&#8221; Puente responded to rebuttal from Kolkhorst, the bewildered lawmaker. &#8220;If we were talking about the issue a bit more generally I think the position might be a bit more nuanced, but I think the basic position is going to be that for something like this, we would need to be confident that it would not have an impact on overall participation in the program.”
Puente did not explain why food stamp recipients would stop participating in the program if they could not buy soda and potato chips with it, why the heart association would have an interest in maintaining welfare participation rates, or how increasing food stamp benefits so participants could buy fruits on top of their existing load of artery-clogging sweets would reduce obesity.
His testimony was preceded by that of Grace Price, a 19-year old food activist, who said “SNAP kids consume 43% more sugary drinks than those not on SNAP.&#8221;
&#8220;With 72% of SNAP recipients also on Medicaid, we are paying for the problem and the solution,&#8221; Price said. &#8220;This isn&#8217;t complicated; even my six-year old niece knows candy and soda are unhealthy. You don&#8217;t need a masters degree to know they have no place in a nutrition program.”
SNAP is a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-can-food-stamps-buy-junk-food-how-doge-could-save-billions-and-maha" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$124 billion-a-year program</a> that allows poor people to buy virtually any edible item with the exception, in most cases, of restaurant meals. Food stamps are even accepted at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/food-stamps-accepted-at-thousands-of-liquor-and-tobacco-stores-contributing-to-healthcare-fiasco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thousands of liquor or tobacco stores</a>, in case someone wants to pick up a Mountain Dew to chase their vodka or a bag of Skittles to go with their cigarettes.
Politicians from both parties have periodically noted the absurdity of including taxpayer-funded soda and candy in a nutrition program, with states like New York attempting to block soda. But SNAP is a federal program, and the feds have refused to allow states waivers allowing them to do so, even as pilot programs.
Now a coalition is forming between Make America Healthy Again advocates and Department of Government Efficiency proponents. Liberals have said DOGE will fail to balance the budget because such a large portion of federal spending is tied up in Medicare and Medicaid. But reducing obesity by improving diets among the poor could drastically decrease Medicaid spending relating to issues like diabetes.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who is from Texas, is expected to grant waivers to states who ask, and Arkansas has said it will do so. The change could also be nationwide; <a href="https://brecheen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=166" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marco Rubio introduced such a bill</a> in the Senate in 2023.
Roy Lenardson of the Foundation for Government Accountability testified in support of the bill at the Texas hearing.
“How is it going with our health in this country? If 42% of adults and 20% of kids are obese&#8230;and obesity has tripled since the 1960s&#8230;it&#8217;s not going great.&#8221; He told The Daily Wire that even Sonny Purdue, the agriculture secretary during Trump’s first term, blocked Maine’s request to exclude soda from the welfare program, and that special interests fight hard to keep the spigots of taxpayer money flowing for soda and candy.
<div id="attachment_842733" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-842733" class="size-large wp-image-842733" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/tobacco-beer-1024x556.png" alt="Antioch Tobacco &amp; Beer in Antioch, Tennessee / Google" width="1024" height="556" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/tobacco-beer-1024x556.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/tobacco-beer-300x163.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/tobacco-beer-768x417.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/tobacco-beer-1536x833.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/tobacco-beer-2048x1111.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Antioch Tobacco &amp; Beer in Antioch, Tennessee / Google</div>
He said such funding could explain the American Heart Association testimony, noting that it has received more than a <a href="https://www.heart.org/en/founders-day/second-century-campaign-donors">million dollars</a> each from Walmart, Pfizer, and Novo Nordisk — the maker of obesity drug Ozempic — and that <a href="https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/company-collaboration/food-system-strategy/aha-industry-nutrition-forum/industry-nutrition-forum-members" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PepsiCo pays it</a> to be part of its Industry Nutrition Forum.
&#8220;Voters put the MAHA movement’s hands on the levers of power, and the taxpayer-funded junk food cartel is sweating bullets,&#8221; Lenardson said.
The American Beverage Association, the industry group for soda manufacturers, is mounting a nationwide media offensive that attempts to persuade Republican lawmakers against reforms to the program. The industry group is attempting to cast the ability to buy taxpayer-funded junk food as an issue of liberty.
The ad campaign, called &#8220;<a href="https://yourcartyourchoice.com/about/">Your Cart, Your Choice</a>,&#8221; is spearheaded by the soda group in partnership with the National Confectioners Association, which represents candy manufacturers, and the Corn Refiners Association, which profits from high-fructose corn syrup.
“Restricting what one segment of the population can buy at the grocery store just because they need temporary government assistance goes against American values. These proposals treat families <a href="https://yourcartyourchoice.com/oppose-restrictions-on-snap-benefits/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and veterans</a> as second-class citizens,” it says. “REJECT these so-called ‘reforms’ and take action to protect the freedom of food and beverage choice for all Americans,” it adds on top of an image of an American flag.
Its paid ads on X have been met with uniform derision, with one user responding: “Not your money, not your choice.”
In a statement to The Daily Wire, the group reiterated its liberty-centric argument for not restricting food stamp spending.
“Government meddling in Texans’ grocery carts does nothing to make us healthier and won’t save taxpayers a single dollar, but it will add new layers of red tape and empower government bureaucrats to force their ideas onto your shopping list,” said Americans for Food &amp; Beverage Choice spokeswoman Stacie Rumenap. “The working-class coalition that showed up this past election voted to reject bloated and inefficient government. Politicians should take note.”
The soda lobby is also <a href="https://yourcartyourchoice.com/oppose-restrictions-on-snap-benefits/?utm_source=x&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=social_x_social_20250312_E_no_1_" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promoting unusual op-eds in conservative media</a> that try to convince free-market conservatives to rally around taxpayer-funded junk food.
Newsmax published one such piece, “Keep Bureaucrats’ Hands Out of American’s [sic] Grocery Carts – Please.” It was authored by Tom Giovanetti of the Institute for Policy Innovation, which, according to <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?page=3&amp;q=%22Institute+for+Policy+Innovation%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tax records</a>, is funded by PhRMA, whose members profit from treating the unhealthy

Alec Puente / Texas Senate

American Heart Association Retracts Opposition To Barring Soda, Candy From Food Stamps

Food Stamps

Health

Texas

Welfare

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said this week that Americans who are receiving food stamps may soon be banned from using them to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-can-food-stamps-buy-junk-food-how-doge-could-save-billions-and-maha" target="_blank" rel="noopener">purchase junk food</a>.
Rollins made the remarks while answering questions from reporters outside the White House on Friday about working with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reform the SNAP program.
&#8220;I look forward to working with Bobby Kennedy as we figure out, do we have the healthiest choices?&#8221; she said. &#8220;So when a taxpayer is putting money into SNAP, are they okay with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children who perhaps need something more nutritious?&#8221;
She said that she looked forward to working with DOGE to see where the SNAP program is wasting money and if it is meeting the metrics required to hit its goals.
&#8220;Oftentimes, these government programs are started with the idea that you&#8217;re going to help people — it&#8217;s not a handout, it&#8217;s a hand up — and then years later, the programs are even bigger, and you&#8217;ve got more people on them,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And are we really giving people a hand up, or is it instead a handout? So if we can have a whole other group of really smart people looking at SNAP and other programs at USDA, that will allow us to ensure, what are our metrics for success? Are we meeting those metrics for success?&#8221;
&#8220;Will we ever take food out of a hungry child&#8217;s mouth? Of course not. This is the United States of America,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;But truly, this program has grown so large, especially in the last administration. Under Biden, I think SNAP, grew almost 30% more than before.&#8221;
<a class="c-link" href="http://dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://dailywire.com/subscribe" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-7935">PRESIDENTS’ DAY SALE! 40% Off DailyWire+ Annual Memberships With Code DW40</a>
According to the USDA, more than 42 million people received SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2023, costing the country well over $110 billion per year.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins welcomes RFK Jr.’s help reforming SNAP to cut “bad food and sugary drinks”
“When a taxpayer is putting money into SNAP, are they okay with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children who need something more… <a href="https://t.co/nFeooY3fkM">pic.twitter.com/nFeooY3fkM</a>
— American Values 🗽 (@AVPac_US) <a href="https://twitter.com/AVPac_US/status/1890865937936711863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-can-food-stamps-buy-junk-food-how-doge-could-save-billions-and-maha" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why Can Food Stamps Buy Junk Food? How DOGE Could Save Billions And MAHA</a>

US-Secretary-of-Agriculture-Press-Conference

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins Suggests RFK Jr. Could Ban Food Stamps Being Used On Junk Food

Economy

Politics

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Nearly 5,000 stores with words related to “liquor” or “tobacco” in their names accept food stamps, a Daily Wire review of government data found.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the food stamp program, currently allows more than 3,700 stores with “liquor,” “beer,” “wine,” or “spirits” in their names to accept food stamps. Food stamps aren’t allowed to be used for alcohol, but they can be used for nearly anything edible, so the stores are allowed to accept them on the idea that someone might want to buy snacks, such as a bag of chips, at the liquor store. Such stores are highly unlikely to sell much healthy food, and the snacks they sell are likely ultra-processed junk food sold in small quantities at a very high markup.
The findings highlight how the $113 billion Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) often contributes to making people less healthy. Democrat and Republican governors alike have signaled support for reforming SNAP to block junk food in order to deal with persistent problems regarding health — or, as Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-governor-calls-incoming-trump-141200605.html">put it</a>, “Make America Healthy Again.”
Junk food and soda are permitted expenditures with SNAP, and soda is the number one most-purchased item. While alcohol and tobacco aren&#8217;t, the USDA essentially has to rely on store owners&#8217; honesty when reporting what was actually rung up. Selling ineligible products, or trading food stamps for cash, is unlikely to happen at major grocery chains, but far more likely to happen at inner-city liquor stores.
The stores include Bottles Liquor in Oakland, whose windows advertise luxury alcohols like Patron.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-842769 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/bottles-1024x509.png" alt="" width="1024" height="509" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/bottles-1024x509.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/bottles-300x149.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/bottles-768x381.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/bottles-1536x763.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/bottles.png 1756w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Or a store in Detroit with a sign that simply says LIQUOR, where signs advertise various beers, lottery machines, and the fact that people can access Bitcoin, a favorite for illicit transactions, there.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-842773 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/detroit-959x576.png" alt="" width="959" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/detroit-959x576.png 959w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/detroit-300x180.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/detroit-768x461.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/detroit.png 1502w" sizes="(max-width: 959px) 100vw, 959px" /></div>
Residents of Antioch, Tennessee who want to use a taxpayer-funded nutrition program at a store dedicated to harming both livers and lungs can check out Antioch Tobacco &amp; Beer, where signs advertise Bud Light, Sonoma Cigarettes, Rockstar energy drinks, and the fact that EBT — the debit card that holds food stamps — is accepted.
The federal government has ensured that SNAP can be spent at about 1,000 stores whose names contain “tobacco,” “smoke,” “cigar,” or “vape.” Those enjoying Reno, Nevada’s vices can spend their government benefits at Stay High Liquor &amp; Smoke.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-842737 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/stay-high-766x576.png" alt="" width="766" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/stay-high-766x576.png 766w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/stay-high-300x226.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/stay-high-768x577.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/stay-high-1536x1155.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/stay-high.png 1990w" sizes="(max-width: 766px) 100vw, 766px" /></div>
Phoenix residents who anticipate that after buying a blunt wrap, they might want a bag of Funyuns can check out “Cell Repair – Smoke &amp; Vape Shop,” where you can buy cannabis products and where the “EBT SNAP CARDS ACCEPTED HERE” sign is larger than the name of the store itself.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-842777 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/smoke-vape-773x576.png" alt="" width="773" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/smoke-vape-773x576.png 773w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/smoke-vape-300x224.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/smoke-vape-768x572.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/smoke-vape.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 773px) 100vw, 773px" /></div>
Tobacco Depot in Stockton, California focuses its advertising on the fact that you can buy both cigarettes and glass pipes used for drugs, as well as that the store does “accept E.B.T.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-842813 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/tobacco-depot-1-577x576.png" alt="" width="577" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/tobacco-depot-1-577x576.png 577w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/tobacco-depot-1-300x300.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/tobacco-depot-1-150x150.png 150w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/tobacco-depot-1-768x766.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/tobacco-depot-1.png 790w" sizes="(max-width: 577px) 100vw, 577px" /></div>
In Huntington, Indiana, I Puff Discount Tobacco contains a marijuana leaf in its window and accepts EBT, perhaps for those who want to pick up a Mountain Dew if whatever they’re smoking dries out their mouth.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-842791 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/ipuff-1006x576.png" alt="" width="1006" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/ipuff-1006x576.png 1006w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/ipuff-300x172.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/ipuff-768x440.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/ipuff.png 1338w" sizes="(max-width: 1006px) 100vw, 1006px" /></div>
On top of the 5,000 liquor and smoke shops, welfare beneficiaries — who are more likely than the general population to be obese — can spend their taxpayer-funded nutrition dollars at candy stores, like Angie’s Candy Store in Milwaukee.
Nearly 200 firms with &#8220;liquor&#8221; in the name have been found to have defrauded the food stamp program in recent years. <a href="https://dam-fns.usda.gov/media/FNS/fad-crains-ice-cream-liquor-c0201168.pdf">Crain&#8217;s Ice Cream &amp; Liquor</a> took food stamps, until the government was surprised to learn that it wasn&#8217;t a bona fide source of nutrition, instead finding &#8220;irregular transactions&#8221; of hundreds of dollars making &#8220;the case of trafficking&#8230; convincing.&#8221; Its receipts did not even indicate whether the items purchased were food or not.
Since 2017, 51 stores with the name &#8220;tobacco&#8221; in their name have been found to have committed fraud, according to <a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailer-sanctions-final-agency-decisions-fads?title=tobacco&amp;field_fiscal_year_value=&amp;order=field_fad_date&amp;sort=desc">USDA data</a>.
For example, inspectors visited <a href="https://dam-fns.usda.gov/media/FNS/FAD-AmigosTobaccoShop-C0242309.pdf">Amigos Tobacco Shop</a> in Greenville, North Carolina three times, and all three times they observed food stamps being accepted for non-food items, presumably tobacco, by multiple clerks. The store was barred from accepting food stamps for six months, although the punishment was postponed because the store owner appealed, complaining that SNAP was &#8220;very important&#8221; to his tobacco store&#8217;s income stream.
<a href="https://dam-fns.usda.gov/media/FNS/fad-t-j-cell-tobacco-c0224383.pdf">T&amp;J Cell &amp; Tobacco</a> in Milwaukee was authorized to take food stamps even though there are more than 90 stores within a two-mile radius, including supermarkets, that sell wide selections of food and accept the benefit. USDA investigators found that it was ringing up unusually high-dollar transactions, even though it offered &#8220;mainly snacks foods and beverages.&#8221; It banned the store for &#8220;trafficking&#8221; food stamps, which is when a clerk rings up fake products and gives half the amount to the customer in cash.
When inspectors visited <a href="https://dam-fns.usda.gov/media/FNS/fad-manchester-tobacco-outlet-C0208524.pdf">Manchester Tobacco Outlet</a> in Manchester, Tennessee, it didn&#8217;t even have a selection of staple foods for sale, which the owner said was because &#8220;we ran out of goods.&#8221; <a href="https://dam-fns.usda.gov/media/FNS/fad-os-pipe-tobacco-C0201725.pdf">Os Pipe &amp; Tobacco</a> of Denver was eligible to accept food stamps, until the government realized its owner was a convicted drug dealer.
<a href="https://dam-fns.usda.gov/media/FNS/fad-liquor-beer-tobacco-outlet-C0197734.pdf">Liquor Beer &amp; Tobacco Outlet</a> in Charles City, Iowa, was allowed to accept food stamps. Investigators found it was ringing up high-dollar transactions even though it only sold small items like snacks and didn&#8217;t even have shopping baskets, leading them to conclude that it was simply laundering food stamps for cash.
&#8220;It is not plausible that the firm&#8217;s customers would carry large amount of merchandise around the store without the benefit of shopping carts or baskets or that customers would routinely do the bulk of their grocery purchases at a moderately-stocked convenience store rather than a nearby superstore or supermarket with significantly more inventory and lower prices,&#8221; investigators wrote.
On December 6, The Daily Wire laid out the case for how <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-can-food-stamps-buy-junk-food-how-doge-could-save-billions-and-maha">SNAP could be replaced</a> by a system that purchased healthy food in bulk from farmers, and sent them to needy people upon request. That could save money not just on SNAP itself, but on the Medicaid costs associated with obesity.
On Wednesday, Gov. Sanders <a href="https://governor.arkansas.gov/news_post/governor-sanders-calls-for-reforms-to-the-snap-program/">wrote</a> to Robert F. Kennedy, President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, and Brooke Rollins, his Agriculture nominee, that reforming SNAP could be part of the Make America Healthy Again agenda.
&#8220;Unfortunately, this &#8216;Nutrition Assistance&#8217; program is undermining the health of millions of Americans, on the taxpayer’s dime, by encouraging families to eat highly processed, unhealthy junk food,&#8221; Sanders wrote. She said soda, unhealthy snacks, and candy make up a large portion of SNAP purchases, which is harming her state, where 40% of residents are obese and one-third have diabetes or pre-diabetes.
She noted that a Stanford study by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Trump&#8217;s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health, &#8220;estimated that prohibiting sugary drinks and soda from SNAP would prevent obesity in 141,000 kids and Type 2 diabetes in 240,000 adults. Since joint state and federal healthcare spending is quickly approaching $2 trillion each year, we should embrace commonsense, preventative healthcare policies.&#8221;
Sanders also said shifting the program to healthy, homegrown food would also support farmers, and said she would seek a waiver from SNAP to steer the program towards healthy foods in her state. In previous administrations, the federal government has refused to give states waivers blocking junk food, including New York, which wanted to ban soda.
On X, Jared Polis, the Democrat governor of Colorado, echoed his <a href="https://x.com/GovofCO/status/1866903155495079983">support</a>, saying, &#8220;Prioritizing healthy, fresh foods over junk food and soda will reduce the risk of having future health issues such as diabetes and cavities.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-can-food-stamps-buy-junk-food-how-doge-could-save-billions-and-maha">Why Can Food Stamps Buy Junk Food? How DOGE Could Save Billions And MAHA</a>

Antioch Tobacco & Beer in Antioch, Tennessee / Google

Food Stamps Accepted At Thousands Of Liquor And Tobacco Stores, Contributing To Healthcare Fiasco

Department of Health and Human Services

Obesity

This is the first in a Daily Wire series about major government programs that could be reformed under the Trump administration.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pays farmers not to grow food, while at the same time spending most of its budget giving “food stamps” to people who can use them to buy candy, soda, and snacks — at giant retail markups — in corner stores and elsewhere.
The food stamp program has exploded, from $56 billion in redemptions in fiscal 2019 to <a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/data-research/data-visualization/snap-retailer-management-dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$124 billion</a> in 2023. Perhaps not coincidentally, many on food stamps are more likely to be obese with related health conditions, and then be treated at taxpayer expense by Medicaid.
The current program is so inefficient that by USDA’s own estimates, it pays out $1 billion a month in food stamps to people who aren’t eligible, leading the Biden administration to call for <a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/news-item/fns-005.24" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“urgent”</a> reforms. Twenty percent of food stamp payouts in the District of Columbia, and close to 23% in South Carolina, are <a href="https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-fy23-qc-payment-error-rate.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">erroneous</a>. That’s a separate issue from fraud, which occurs when stores agree to trade food stamps for cash. The tens of billions of dollars spent on unhealthy food counts as neither waste nor fraud: it’s fully permitted.
Dramatically overhauling the food stamp program so that only healthy food can be bought could go beyond saving money. In a country facing an <a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/farm-bill-2023-obesity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obesity crisis</a>, it could help make America healthy again.
A <a href="https://www.foodpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/SNAPFoodsTypicallyPurchased_16.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2016 study</a> conducted by a contractor for USDA found that soda was the top item purchased with food stamps. That study likely significantly understated junk-food rates, because USDA refuses to disclose data on which products food stamps are spent on even though it can be tracked. The contractor found a workaround by getting data from a large grocery chain.
The money saved from reforming SNAP would only be the start of the benefits to taxpayers. A 2018 <a href="https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1042&amp;context=jflp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> from the Journal of Food Law &amp; Policy found that “medical costs associated with obesity (which largely fall on Medicare and Medicaid) are estimated to be at least $147 billion per year.” Some people who become obese through food stamps also end up on taxpayer-funded disability programs as a result. This month, the White House <a href="https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/white-house-proposes-big-expansion-of-medicare-medicaid-coverage-of-obesity-drugs-f151c9c1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed</a> covering weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, which can cost $1,600 a month, for Medicaid recipients. The government would be paying both for junk food that makes people fat, and a lifetime prescription to try to take the fat off.
The food stamp program is officially called the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), and letting people use the credits on almost any edible item, no matter its nutritional value, has never been consistent with that intent. Even some Democrat-run states have recognized that, with states such as New York trying to make soda ineligible for food stamps. The federal government forbade them from even conducting pilot programs to test whether it would be beneficial. USDA, the Harvard study said, fretted that beneficiaries would be “stigmatized” if they couldn’t buy soda.
Of course, the argument that billions of taxpayer dollars should be used to make vulnerable poor people obese doesn&#8217;t come from the impoverished. It likely comes from corporate lobbyists for whom SNAP is big business. Soda manufacturers, convenience stores, and candy trade associations have all lobbied to keep junk food SNAP-eligible. They say it’s only <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120628000810/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jun/24/top-secret-what-food-stamps-buy/?page=all#pagebreak" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“anecdotal”</a> that SNAP is often spent on sweets, leaning on the fact that USDA conceals what items are purchased.
USDA fought all the way to the <a href="https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2019/06/in-foia-decision-supreme-court-rules-that-food-stamp-data-is-confidential/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court</a> to block journalist requests to see how much taxpayer money is disbursed to each store for SNAP reimbursements. That data could make the biggest launderers of food stamps glaringly obvious because they would be showing far more revenue than similarly-sized corner stores. It would likely also show what a bonanza the SNAP program is for politically-connected corporations like Walmart.
Yet when USDA asked retailers for <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2385494/those-at-the-front-lines-of-junk-food-food-stamp-purchases-rail-at-usda-secrecy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feedback</a> on whether it should keep hiding data about how food stamps are spent, on the logic that it was a “trade secret,” small retailers and clerks replied that, day after day, they saw people ring up taxpayer-paid junk food, and they thought the public should know about it. One retailer said, “I have customers come in and buy candy, sodas, and energy drinks with their EBT/SNAP cards. I personally don’t believe that that should be allowed since it is not considered a necessity.” A public health dietician wrote, “I find that SNAP funds are spent on unhealthy food choices, which is compounding our nation’s health problems… I suspect the retailers are part of the problem. We need to figure this out so that all of our citizens have access to healthy food choices.”
More than a decade ago, this reporter spent weeks <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/7/violations-dont-deter-food-stamp-vendors-hunger-fo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">touring stores</a> on the District of Columbia’s list of SNAP-eligible retailers. SNAP requires retailers to have a few healthy foods available, and while many of the stores had a few old vegetables lying around, the typical food stamp transaction was more likely to involve junk food like 20-ounce bottles of Mountain Dew and Kit-Kat bars.
Some of the stores openly engaged in criminal activity, selling individual “loosie” cigarettes, for cash. They plainly catered to criminals, selling glass “roses” used to smoke crack. One made room in its limited inventory for a selection of black ski masks—the types used in robberies—in the heat of summer.
SNAP inherently relies on the honesty of these stores to tell it how much business they did in food stamp dollars, then writes them a check. It is trivial for them to “launder” food stamps into cash, giving half the money to the customer and pocketing the other half, by ringing up ghost products. The SNAP bureaucracy seems to have been crafted precisely to make such fraud difficult to stop. The federal government puts the states in charge of doling out SNAP money, while retail anti-fraud enforcement is reserved for the feds, and there are only some 100 investigators to police a <a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/data-research/data-visualization/snap-retailer-management-dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quarter-million</a> SNAP retailers across the country.
Even so, about one in twenty stores was caught for fraud within a seven-year period. One in three stores that was supposedly banned from accepting food stamps, was still accepting them. Some seemed to have simply “sold” the store — on paper, at least — to an associate to evade consequences. A store called Tobaccosville was among SNAP-eligible stores, until it was busted for fraud. It rebranded as Tobacco City and kept accepting them. Others just ignored infractions because the sanctions were toothless. Last year, Democrats introduced a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1427" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> that would make it even easier for corporations to engage in food stamp laundering to keep operating, called the SNAP Second Chance Act.
Even if it made sense for taxpayers to pay for food at marked-up, retail prices instead of finding economies of scale by buying in bulk, SNAP is duplicative. Women and children can already buy healthy food at stores through the Women and Children (WIC) program, and school-aged children get free breakfast and lunch at school in many states.
Replacing food stamps with a program that buys nutritious commodities from farmers in bulk, allows impoverished people to select what they’d like off a menu, and mails it to them — not unlike high-end meal services such as Blue Apron — is one big-ticket idea that could be considered by the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The time is right for Congress to dramatically reassess how America ensures that its poor are healthy. Food stamps are authorized by the “Farm Bill,” which ordinarily comes up for renewal every five years. But Congress wasn’t able to agree on a full five-year bill in 2023. After a <a href="https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/10/02/delayed-farm-bill-punted-until-after-election-with-congress-stuck-on-how-to-pay-for-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">short-term extension</a>, the incoming Congress and administration will have an opportunity to start from scratch next year.
Part 2: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/food-stamps-accepted-at-thousands-of-liquor-and-tobacco-stores-contributing-to-healthcare-fiasco">Food Stamps Accepted At Thousands Of Liquor And Tobacco Stores, Contributing To Healthcare Fiasco</a>

Overweight caucasian teenage boy with a bottle of cola

Why Can Food Stamps Buy Junk Food? How DOGE Could Save Billions And MAHA

Budget

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

The US presidential <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2024-election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">election</a> is shaping up to be one of the most “heartland” themed campaigns in recent history. Donald Trump’s VP selection of Ohio Senator JD Vance checked the Rust Belt box for Republicans, and Democrat Kamala Harris countered with her new running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. 
With camo hat always on hand, Walz’s political brand is tied to his <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91168539/tim-walzs-first-job-was-working-on-a-farm">first job</a> working on the family farm in Nebraska. Farmers across Minnesota are <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/08/06/minnesota-farmers-union-president-stalled-farm-bill-weather-extremes-walz-veepstakes">abuzz</a> about Walz&#8217;s agriculture record both as a congressman and as governor, and it’s mixed. Walz speaks the language of Minnesota farmers but shares the sentiments of California and European progressives when it comes to food and environmental policy.
Environmentalist groups like Greenpeace and Pesticide Action Network have never had potential allies in the White House quite as aligned as Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Walz’s record indicates he would entertain the kind of utopian visions that have guided the European Union on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dutch-farmers-spread-manure-on-streets-as-new-emissions-rules-threaten-to-close-down-livestock-farms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">policies</a> such as gas taxes on farm equipment and sweeping pesticide bans. The same policies which sparked massive <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/here-s-why-farmers-are-protesting-in-europe/7494997.html">farmer protests across Europe and Canada</a>.
As recently as July, Walz announced $200 million from the EPA to flow into Minnesota for the advancement of “Climate-Smart Food Systems”, meaning the replacement of gas-powered farm vehicles, new standards around refrigerators, and soil practices. Several years back, Governor Walz <a href="https://www.farmforum.net/story/news/agriculture/2016/08/18/minnesota-rep-tim-walz-visits-organic-farm-listens-to-concerns-of-organic-farmers/49239667/">visited organic farms</a> in Minnesota to give voice to their concerns about pesticides, saying “There’s still more we can do to make things easier for organic farmers.”
What did those organic farmers want? Nothing related specifically to their operations, but instead a total ban on aerial pesticides used by conventional farms statewide, which they claim travels by air and impacts all farms. Walz’s position was, “We need to build coalitions with the public and fellow politicians and get them on board with this stuff.”
Americans have been fortunate, as these progressive experiments in rolling back high-yield farming have not hit the political mainstream. That could soon change. 
The European Union <a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/02/06/von-der-leyen-announces-withdrawal-of-contentious-pesticide-law-the-first-defeat-of-the-gr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abandoned</a> its own attempts to boost organic farming after the farmer protests, learning over many years that its rules and regulations led to a less productive and more expensive food system for consumers.
But you’ll find that no EU member state has endured a famine, and that’s the result of Europe’s trademark caution and incrementalism. Nations that have been inspired by Europe’s failed policies but lack their bureaucratic restraint have seen actual starvation when modern farming systems were upended.
The case of Sri Lanka, a small island off the coast of India, is only the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sri-lankas-president-flees-the-country-amid-mass-uprising" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most recent example</a>. Until 2019, Sri Lanka had been the planet’s top tourism spot for a decade, but regulatory change in agriculture <a href="https://www.wfp.org/news/food-crisis-sri-lanka-likely-worsen-amid-poor-agricultural-production-price-spikes-and-ongoing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threw it back</a> into the ‘dark ages’.
All it took was seriously implementing the ideas of progressive environmentalists and food production critics.
In Sri Lanka&#8217;s 2019 election, now former-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised a 10-year transition away from conventional farming practices to “organic agriculture”. It was on the advice of an Indian environmentalist, Vandana Shiva, that Rajapaska believed chemical fertilizers and pesticides needed to be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/apr/28/fighting-giants-eco-activist-vandana-shiva-on-her-battle-against-gm-multinationals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outlawed</a>. Shiva cared little for the steady gains in agricultural productivity in Sri Lanka in the 21st century.
During COVID, President Rajapaska banned all imports of chemical fertilizer and pesticides, effectively forcing two million farmers to go organic. The plans have since been abandoned but still created a devastating ripple that has yet to be undone.
Sri Lanka&#8217;s domestic rice production <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/05/sri-lanka-organic-farming-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has dropped</a> by 20% due to the lower agricultural output of organic farming compared to conventional methods, despite political promises. Food prices rose by a third. Tea production, a crucial domestic and export commodity, decreased by 50%, as foreign consumers were unwilling to pay premiums. Nine out of every 10 Sri Lankan families were reported to have <a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-china-india-asia-c9a49428e9bad5c0bb087534c0d310f8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">skipped meals</a> and waited for days at a time in lines for fuel.
Rubber and coconut producers faced similar challenges, as obtaining imports on short notice proved nearly impossible despite the lifting of the ban on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
Half a million individuals fell back into poverty after decades of real progress. Sri Lanka has been left to rely on foreign food assistance from neighboring India. On top of all that, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62104268" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protestors in 2022 stormed</a> the Prime Minister&#8217;s office and the President&#8217;s residence, forcing the government to resign in disgrace.
Sri Lanka still grapples with grinding inflation due to the devaluation of its currency. As of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/3/22/economic-conditions-in-debt-stricken-sri-lanka-improving-imf-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">March,</a> inflation sat at 5.9%, down from a peak of 70% in 2022. The island country has seen an <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/6/20/fed-up-doctor-exodus-bleeds-sri-lankas-healthcare-after-economic-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exodus</a> of doctors as well as parents being forced to pick <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64158513" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which of their children can attend school</a>. All ripple effects of a deep economic crisis that has hobbled the country, stemming from the all-in pursuit of progressive’s food production agenda.
None of this is to say that Tim Walz and Kamala Harris are going to bring famine and pestilence to the United States, but should emphasize that the food systems Americans take for granted are indeed fragile. Ideological reformers have persuaded many of America’s trade partners to pursue the kinds of policies that have broken nations, starved families, and produced massive political blowback from hardworking farmers.
Food systems are fragile, and both Kamala Harris and Governor Walz should be asked tough questions about these global farming trends, as well as their records while in office. Walz has more farming knowledge than any presidential or vice presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter, but Americans need to know where he really stands on these debates. It can be a matter of life and death.
* * *
Bill Wirtz is senior policy analyst at the Consumer Choice Center, where he focuses on agriculture and trade. He has published “No Copy-paste: What Not to Emulate From Europe’s Agriculture Regulation.&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Tim Walz

Governor Walz Needs To Answer For Failed Progressive Food Policies

2024 Election

Ben Shapiro

Farmers

Farming

Kamala Harris

Opinion

Progressivism

Readers Pass

Florida Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron DeSantis</a> signed a bill into law on Wednesday that bans the sale of lab-grown meat in the state as part of his administration&#8217;s commitment to having a &#8220;vibrant agriculture industry.&#8221;
Speaking at a press conference, DeSantis said that this bill was different than legislation he has signed in the past to protect the industry because this focuses on protecting it from &#8220;acts of man&#8221; that are rooted in an &#8220;ideological agenda&#8221; that wants to blame ranchers for climate change.
&#8220;These will be people who will lecture the rest of us about things like global warming, they will say that you can&#8217;t drive a internal combustion engine vehicle, they&#8217;ll say that agriculture is bad, meanwhile, they&#8217;re flying to Davos and their private jets,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This is really a vision of imposing restrictions on freedoms for everyday people while these elites are effectively pulling the strings, calling the shots, and doing whatever the hell they want to do in their own lives.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Global elites want to control our behavior and push a diet of petri dish meat and bugs on Americans.   Florida is saying no. I was proud to sign SB 1084 to keep lab grown meat out of Florida and prioritize our farmers and ranchers over the agenda of elites and the World Economic… <a href="https://t.co/vHdWaJtckU">pic.twitter.com/vHdWaJtckU</a>
&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1785812567098548461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
DeSantis said that policies and vision that the World Economic Forum has for the world is &#8220;dead on arrival in the state of Florida.&#8221;
&#8220;We have fought it through standing up against things like Central Bank Digital Currency, where they want to be able to control your money; we fought against it by banning the Chinese Communist Party from purchasing land in the state of Florida; we have fought it by putting an end to woke banks denying or canceling financial services for Florida, just based on their political opinions; and we&#8217;ve also protected Floridians from government tracking of credit card transactions related to the purchase of firearms and ammunition,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I think what they&#8217;re looking to do is create a social credit system. That&#8217;s what they have in China. And so your ability to participate in the economy, access credit, will be circumscribed by your ideological positions and your political positions.&#8221;
DeSantis said that the extreme agenda of the WEF, which <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/why-we-need-to-give-insects-the-role-they-deserve-in-our-food-systems/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">includes</a> having people eat bugs, has not taken root in Florida and that it&#8217;s also struggled to gain traction in many other states as well.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
&#8220;They want to basically eliminate meat, they want to eliminate cattle, they want to eliminate chickens, and they want to create protein in laboratories,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So it&#8217;s fake, essentially, lab-created meat, and their goal is to get to a point where you will not be raising cattle, where you will not be developing meat like we&#8217;ve been doing for hundreds and hundreds of years in the State of Florida.&#8221;
DeSantis said the notion that they just want to put the fake meat on the market and let the free market take its course is false.
&#8220;That&#8217;s not really what they&#8217;re going for because they know if that was put out there to compete with with normal beef that they would lose,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So what they want to do is put that out there and then say, &#8216;Well, wait a minute, you can do this in a lab. You don&#8217;t need to do cattle, you don&#8217;t need to do all this, so why don&#8217;t you just phase all that out? That&#8217;s ultimately the goal. Now they&#8217;re not at the point where they&#8217;re going to execute that today. But I think part of being good stewards of these industries, of the state, of the public well being, is to think of forward and head off threats before they even come.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Governor DeSantis tells the truth about the WEF agenda, why they are pushing lab-grown meat, and why Florida says NO 👇🎯<a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovRonDeSantis</a>: &#8220;They want to basically eliminate meat. They want to eliminate cattle, they want to eliminate chicken, all this stuff. They want to create… <a href="https://t.co/axtbfwKlgl">pic.twitter.com/axtbfwKlgl</a>
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1785726395806625795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote>

GOP Presidential Candidate Ron DeSantis Campaigns In California

DeSantis Bans Lab-Grown Meat In Florida To Fight Against WEF Agenda, Protect Local Ranchers

Animals

Florida

Ron DeSantis

Social Issues

A report from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/national-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Government Accountability Office</a> (GAO) found that there were major flaws in the government&#8217;s tracking of foreign land purchases, exposing the United States to national security risks.
The <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106337" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>, which was requested by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the House Committee on Agriculture, said that the Department of Agriculture does “not share timely data on foreign investments in agricultural land,” and that the processes in place for sharing the data are complex and difficult to understand.
Lawmakers have raised concerns about Chinese ownership of American farmland, especially land that is near to U.S. military installations.
Foreign investment in American land increased in 2021 to about 40 million acres, according to USDA estimates. “These investments may have consequences for U.S. national security. For example, there may be foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land close to sensitive military installations,” the GAO <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/d24106337high.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
There have been growing efforts at the state level to prevent foreign ownership of land near the military bases and calls for action at the federal level.
“Growing foreign ownership of U.S. farmland, particularly by China, poses a direct threat to our food security and national security. Safeguarding our farmland and food supply requires a whole of government approach and we will continue to work with the impacted agencies, related committees, and leadership to continue our robust oversight and to identify legislative vehicles to address the findings of the GAO report,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-PA) <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-thompson-statement-on-gao-report-on-foreign-ownership-of-u-s-farmland/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in response to the release of the report.
According to the report, the processes the USDA uses “to collect, track, and report key information are flawed.” Defense Department officials also told the GAO that they need information “that is more up-to-date and more specific, and they need to receive this information more than once a year.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1702741302552000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0j7iIgqNi0bR5AgQ4rgPM4">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
The report listed several recommendations for the USDA to take to improve their reporting system, including establishing a more timely process to report foreign investments and updating the forms used to report the data.
“This report confirms one of our worst fears: that not only is the USDA unable to answer the question of who owns what land and where, but that there is no plan by the department to internally reverse this dangerous flaw that affects our supply chain and economy. Food security is national security, and we cannot allow foreign adversaries to influence our food supply while we stick our heads in the sand,” Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) <a href="https://newhouse.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/newhouse-statement-new-gao-report-foreign-land-investment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in response to the report&#8217;s release.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepChipRoy/status/1748381895996440957/photo/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> Congress to pass legislation he proposed that would prohibit Chinese Communist Party members or entities from buying American land.

Beautiful Farmland Patterns Seen From Steptoe Butte, Washington.

Report Finds Major Flaws With How Government Tracks Foreign Ownership Of Farmland

Chinese Communist Party

National Security

An agency in the United Nations <a href="https://www.fao.org/about/about-fao/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">designed</a> to lead international efforts to defeat hunger is <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-26/eat-less-meat-is-message-for-rich-world-in-food-s-first-net-zero-plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> expected to call on the West — including the United States — to reduce meat consumption to combat so-called climate change.
The UN&#8217;s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced it plans to introduce a first-of-its-kind global food recommendation document at the Climate Change Conference COP28 — a two-week summit beginning on November 30 at the Expo City Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
According to Bloomberg, the plan will call upon the world&#8217;s most developed nations to curb their excessive appetite for meat to reduce greenhouse emissions, issue guidelines for farmers to adapt to &#8220;erratic weather,&#8221; and cut back emissions from food waste, post-harvest loss, or fertilizer use.
&#8220;The failure of leading meat and dairy companies to reduce emissions underlines the urgent need for more policy focus on the food and agriculture sector,&#8221; Jeremy Coller, the chair and founder of the FAIRR Initiative, an investor network that works with financial institutions to promote climate-friendly agriculture worldwide, said in a recent statement <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/united-nations-set-call-americans-reduce-meat-consumption" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by Fox News.
Coller said food system emissions represent an estimated third of greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of methane, which he asserted deserve &#8220;a place at the top of the table&#8221; with other climate concerns, including energy and transport.
&#8220;Investors hope the first-ever publication of a food and agriculture road map at COP28 this month will catalyze the transition to 1.5 degrees and a more sustainable food system,&#8221; he added.
Although U.S. representatives for the intergovernmental organization have not pledged to join the delegation, the UN agency&#8217;s recommendations are not binding.
According to a March 2021 study published in the Nature Food Journal, about 18 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year — approximately a third of total worldwide emissions — make up the global food system.
Fox News reported that the UN&#8217;s FAO data suggests that livestock accounts for approximately 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
However, according to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12800019/meat-consumption-climate-change-global-emissions.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Daily Mail</a> — the U.S. agriculture industry only accounts for 1.4% of global emissions and 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions.
UN officials have reportedly advocated for a plant-based diet to reduce an individual&#8217;s annual carbon footprint by up to 2.1 tons, but researchers found that a vegetarian diet or switching to lab-grown meat could prove ineffective in improving global emissions.
The University of California, Davis, published a study <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12067409/Lab-grown-meat-25-times-WORSE-climate-beef.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by the Daily Mail earlier this year that indicated lab-grown or &#8220;cultured&#8221; meat produced by cultivating animal cells is up to 25 times worse for the climate than natural beef.
&#8220;Currently, animal cell-based meat products are being produced at a small scale and at an economic loss, however companies are intending to industrialize and scale-up production,&#8221; the researchers wrote. &#8220;Results indicate that the environmental impact of near-term animal cell-based meat production is likely to be orders of magnitude higher than median beef production if a highly refined growth medium is utilized.&#8221;
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-PA) told Fox News Digital in a statement that regulating American farmers and ranchers out of business in the U.S would only export production overseas under hostile foreign governments, worsen emissions profiles, and harm food security and affordability rather than effectively addressing global climate change.
&#8220;Simply put, the world needs American farmers and ranchers more than the UN,&#8221; Thompson said, adding that U.S. farmers and ranchers are &#8220;climate heroes&#8221; for reducing emissions while providing Americans with abundant and affordable food, fiber, and fuel.
According to the <a href="https://www.fb.org/news-release/americas-farmers-are-reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Farm Bureau Federation</a>, farmers and ranchers are getting almost three times more out of their production than what they put into it compared to 70 years ago. The organization noted that livestock emissions, including pork, milk, and beef production, continue to decrease.

Fresh hamburger with a beer on a wooden table.

United Nations Wants Americans To Reduce Meat Consumption In The Name Of ‘Climate Change’: Reports

United Nations Wants Americans To Reduce Meat Consumption In The Name Of 'Climate Change': Reports

Carbon Emissions

Climate Change

United Nations

World

Lawmakers in the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/north-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North Carolina</a> House of Representatives unanimously approved legislation on Wednesday to prevent state-controlled enterprises from <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a> and other adversarial nations from owning land intended for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/farming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agriculture</a> or property near <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/military" target="_blank" rel="noopener">military</a> bases.
The bill, entitled the North Carolina Farmland and Military Protection Act, asserts that state officials have an <a href="https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H463v3.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interest</a> to guard farmland from “the potential of adversarial foreign government control” in order to ensure a “safe, abundant, and affordable supply of food” for residents of the state and the nation. Entities in which more than half of shares are <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-15/subtitle-A/part-7/subpart-A/section-7.4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">controlled</a> by China, Russia, Cuba, North Korea, or Venezuela would also not be permitted to purchase or lease any land within 25 miles of a military installation or any agricultural land.
“As someone who grew up on a family farm, preserving North Carolina’s farmland is a top priority,” North Carolina State Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, a Republican and the primary bill sponsor for the North Carolina Farmland and Military Protection Act, said in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VoteBalkcom/posts/pfbid023bddBB618Vxvi3ubrZHsGPAtoQgNqMvaYjG3mP13iiKyAxoeziMJrQkB127sCbZXl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “Our state’s agricultural land is one of our most important assets and it is common sense that we protect it from foreign governments that do not have America’s best interests in mind.”
North Carolina presently has more than 518,000 acres of farmland held by foreign entities, according to a <a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/EPAS/PDF/2020_afida_annual_report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Department of Agriculture, an amount which increased by nearly 11,000 acres between 2019 and 2020. Chinese entities own slightly less than 1% of acres held by foreigners in the United States; investors from Canada meanwhile own roughly 32% of agricultural and non-agricultural land held by foreigners while citizens of other allies, such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, represent 31% of land held by foreigners.
Officials have nevertheless cited national security risks from recent Chinese purchases of agricultural land. Lawmakers in South Dakota, who also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/south-dakota-to-restrict-purchases-of-farmland-by-china-and-other-nations-who-hate-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">moved</a> last year to prevent Chinese entities from purchasing land in the state, are particularly concerned about the acquisition of farmland near Ellsworth Air Force Base. The purchase of land near Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, where some of the nation’s secure drone technology is located, last year by Chinese food company Fufeng Group likewise raised <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pompeo-warns-communist-chinese-entities-buying-farmland-near-u-s-military-bases" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concerns</a> of potential espionage.
The North Carolina Farmland and Military Protection Act mentioned military facilities such as Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base as locations where entities controlled by adversarial nations cannot purchase property.
Chinese entities composed 6% of foreign residential real estate purchases in the United States between April 2021 and March 2022, according to an <a href="https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/documents/2022-international-transactions-in-us-residential-real-estate-07-18-2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from the National Association of Realtors. Some 3% of residential properties acquired by Chinese buyers were in North Carolina.
The move from North Carolina lawmakers comes as tensions between the United States and China worsen over several recent espionage efforts from the communist nation, including a spy balloon that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chinese-spy-balloon-collected-intelligence-from-sensitive-military-sites-sent-back-to-beijing-in-real-time-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traversed</a> the continental United States and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktoks-parent-company-in-china-planned-to-use-platform-to-track-locations-of-specific-americans-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> of social media platform TikTok collecting data on American citizens.
Members of Congress recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-senators-call-on-biden-to-sanction-chinese-tech-firms-that-assist-communist-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pressed</a> senior Biden administration officials to sanction cloud services offered by Huawei and Alibaba, while some officials are <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/defense-officials-worry-about-new-chinese-espionage-threat-report-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concerned</a> that sensors mounted on seaport cranes manufactured by ZPMC could grant Chinese authorities access to data regarding items shipped for military operations.

North Carolina Goat Farm

North Carolina Lawmakers Unanimously Move To Stop Chinese Entities From Buying Up Farmland

North Carolina Lawmakers Unanimously Approve Bill To Block Certain Chinese Farm Investments

China

Military

North Carolina

More than 18,000 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/farming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cows</a> were killed on Monday in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fire</a> at South Fork Dairy Farm in Dimmitt, <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/texas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas</a>.
Authorities received several calls that employees were trapped in a milking facility, with at least one worker sent to the hospital in critical condition after he was rescued by first responders, according to a <a href="https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/thousands-of-dairy-cows-likely-killed-worker-injured-in-explosion-at-texas-farm/3234590/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Castro County Sheriff Sal Rivera said that a fire from an explosion spread to a building where cattle are held before they are brought to the milking area, according to a <a href="https://www.newschannel10.com/2023/04/11/reports-upwards-18000-cattle-lost-explosion-dimmitt-dairy-farm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from KFDA, with all of the cows except for a small percentage dying in the disaster. The blaze likely spread through the insulation of the building.
“Your count probably is close to that,” Rivera said with respect to the estimated number of remaining livestock. “There’s some that survived, there’s some that are probably injured to the point where they’ll have to be destroyed.”
Officials with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality assisted workers with disposing of the cattle carcasses. The Animal Welfare Institute said the fire was the deadliest with respect to cattle deaths since the organization started to monitor barn fires one decade ago.
Residents in Dimmitt, a town southwest of Amarillo with less than 5,000 residents, told local media that smoke from the fire was visible for miles. “It was lowkey crazy to hear about because we were just chilling and then we just heard a boom,” Renzo Sullivan said in an <a href="https://www.newschannel10.com/2023/04/12/it-was-crazy-dimmitt-community-shocked-by-massive-dairy-farm-explosion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with KDFA. “Then we look in the distance and there’s just a big cloud.”
“It was crazy because it’s like something like that happening here is like kind of unheard of, you know. So it was just like it was a mind-blowing thing to hear,” Sullivan continued. “It is kind of painful because it’s like that’s kind of what we do here, and that’s how we get our money for like the city and all that. So that’s just a major drop for us.”
Other residents said they were surprised to see the plumes of smoke and were concerned for the economy of Dimmitt. “We look up, we’re inside and we go out and look through the window, and we just see clouds. It was like an explosion,” Maleki Laurent commented. “It was crazy. And there was big, massive black air and it looked like fog in the street. And it was all burnt,” Kennedy Cleraman added.
The disaster in the small town comes after several similar reports of industrial and agricultural accidents across the nation in recent months. The incidents include a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-massive-five-acre-fire-breaks-out-at-florida-warehouse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blaze</a> at a nursery supply company in Kissimmee, Florida; a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/train-carrying-hazardous-materials-derailed-in-texas-days-after-ohio-incident" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crash</a> between a train and semi-truck which resulted in a chemical spill near Splendora, Texas; and a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/definitely-toxic-massive-fire-at-indiana-plastic-recycling-facility-forces-thousands-to-evacuate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fire</a> at a recycling plant in Richmond, Indiana.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-44817">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
Another train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, was triggered two months ago when a malfunctioning axle caused the vehicle to derail and leak volatile chemicals, impacting the air and water supply of the small rust belt community. Local and state authorities evacuated all residents within one mile of the crash and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/evacuation-ordered-ohio-governor-warns-major-explosion-could-send-shrapnel-a-mile-from-derailed-train" target="_blank" rel="noopener">started</a> a controlled burn of the chemicals to decrease the risk of an explosion. Vinyl chloride, a carcinogen that can contaminate water supplies, was released from five train cars in the form of massive plumes of dark smoke visible throughout eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
Researchers from Texas A&amp;M University and Carnegie Mellon University found in February that nine chemicals present on the train had higher <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/east-palestine-residents-could-see-long-term-health-risks-from-highly-toxic-chemicals-analysis-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concentrations</a> than normal in the town’s air and water supplies, posing the risk of long-term health complications to residents despite the assurances of state and federal public health officials.

View of flames of red-orange fire and motion clouds of black smoke covered sky

18,000 Cows Killed In Texas Dairy Farm Explosion

Thousands Of Cows Killed In Dairy Farm Explosion

Disasters

Fire

A fight is brewing once again over feral cattle living in the wilderness of New Mexico’s Gila National Forest.
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is planning to kill potentially dozens of wild cattle in the <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/gila/specialplaces/?cid=stelprdb5039821" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sprawling</a> Gila Wilderness of over half a million acres. The USFS <a href="https://apnews.com/article/deer-new-mexico-business-climate-and-environment-animals-da88efdc900cda817d7a3c206ada4f8b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">closed</a> the Gila to visitors on Monday, and beginning Thursday, it plans to hunt cattle in the rugged Gila terrain by helicopter for four days.
The USFS has conducted an operation like this before; last year the federal government sent a team to hunt cattle via helicopter. The operation killed 65 wild cattle, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/08/us/feral-cattle-gila-national-forest.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">riling</a> local landowners, ranching interests, and state lawmakers. The New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, which represents ranchers across the state, unsuccessfully sued last year to stop the culling before it took place. In December, the New Mexico Livestock Board denounced the operation as an act of animal cruelty.
“We know that those animals don’t need to be in there,” NMCGA President Loren Patterson <a href="https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/officials-announce-plan-to-kill-feral-cows-in-gila-national-forest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last month. “We also believe that this aerial gunning program, just like last year, will just be a population control, but doesn’t solve the problems associated with those feral cattle. We want those animals removed in a humane way.”
Cattle carcasses found after last year’s operation were sometimes found with broken limbs, or their entrails hanging out. A few carcasses were found in the national forest’s rivers, raising concerns about water quality. The government removed the carcasses from the river after they were reported.
<div id="attachment_503862" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-503862" class="wp-image-503862 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Photo courtesy Rachel Gabel, The Fence Post Magazine.</div>
The Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are under pressure from environmental groups to remove the cattle from the Gila National Forest. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and other activist groups say the livestock damage habitats of animals protected under the Endangered Species Act. The environmentalists have pushed the federal government through legal challenges to adopt more aggressive plans to remove the feral cattle.
Over more than two decades, the federal government held nine roundups and removed a total of 211 cattle from the Gila. The USFS estimates that 50 to 150 feral cattle remain in the wilderness area, and ranching interests maintain that the remaining cattle should be removed through herding, not bullets.
The gathering operations are dangerous and pose a risk to the people and animals involved, according to the Forest Service. The difficulty and ineffectiveness in herding cattle in the Gila in part prompted the government to opt for aerial shoots after a 2020 <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/lawsuit-challenges-trump-administrations-failure-to-protect-endangered-species-from-livestock-on-arizona-new-mexico-waterways-2020-01-13/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> by the CBD.
“The remote location, the steep, difficult terrain, vast territory, and access restricted to foot or horse due to the designated Wilderness status are limiting factors, along with the wild, uncooperative nature of the feral cattle themselves,” USFS spokesman Ivan Knudsen told The Daily Wire in an email.
“The Gila Wilderness feral cattle do not behave like domesticated cattle, but tend to scatter more like deer; and when captured, tend to thrash and flail, which makes roundup and capture difficult and dangerous for the contracted cowboys, their horses and dogs. Approximately half of the cattle captured using ground-based roundups die or must be euthanized due to stress or self-inflicted injury during capture,” Knudsen said.
Sarah Falen, who runs Wild West Advocacy and has been working with opponents of the USFS shooting operations, said that much of the government’s problem in herding the cattle is its choice of contractors. Falen told The Daily Wire that the government hired contractors who specialized in gathering feral horses, not cattle. In addition, the roundups were held sporadically, allowing the feral cattle to breed and replace much of their numbers lost to herding.
While the roundups are time intensive, ranchers and critics say the operations are preferable to sniping cattle from a helicopter – for the welfare of the livestock and a host of other reasons that concern ranchers in the surrounding area.
One of the foremost concerns is habituating the Mexican gray wolves that hunt and scavenge the Gila to the taste of cattle. In a <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/627074358/USFS-Decision-Memo">decision memo</a> posted last week, the USFS recognized such concerns but said it “does not have any evidence that wolf scavenging on the cattle carcasses has any known effect on the wolf depredation rates on livestock.”
Falen pointed to a USFWS finding that said two Mexican gray wolves were seen last year feeding on the carcasses of the dead cattle. The Forest Service cited the USFWS in its memo: “Last year, after the Forest Service lethally removed feral cattle in the Gila Wilderness Area, two wolves were attracted to the carcasses, stayed in the area for several months, then moved back into their normal areas without preying on live cattle.”
Mexican gray wolves, a species protected under the Endangered Species Act, threaten livestock in some areas the wolves’ territory runs across ranch land, and ranchers’ concerns about the predators are increasing as the federal government rebuilds wolf populations. In Arizona, the state is <a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-ranchers-to-be-paid-for-removing-livestock-carcasses">paying</a> ranchers to remove carcasses of dead livestock beyond the reach of wolves in the Gila to limit the potential for conflict. In 2018, the USFS <a href="https://www.wlj.net/top_headlines/rancher-loses-grazing-permit-after-wolf-kill/article_14f6c60c-9ec3-11eb-a473-d384807b89b9.html">revoked</a> the grazing permit from a New Mexico rancher who killed a Mexican gray wolf in the Apache National Forest, located northwest of the Gila.
Ranchers “have problems with [wolves] all the time,” Falen told The Daily Wire. “I actually work on a Mexican wolf project and some of the ranchers in that area say that in some years, they think that almost as much as 50% of their calf crop is killed by wolves.”
The deaths can be difficult to tally, she said. The government often contests ranchers’ claims that wolves killed a calf. Officials assume that a calf found eaten by wolves may have died by other causes, and the wolves’ feeding took place later.
Ranchers are also concerned that a sniper may shoot a stray animal that belongs to a nearby ranch by mistake. The USFS has <a href="https://www.abqjournal.com/2562702/comment-period-closing-on-plan-to-get-rid-of-feral-cattle-in-the-gila.html">dismissed</a> those concerns, saying that only one branded cow has been removed from the Gila since removal operations began.
The feral cattle that now inhabit the Gila are the descendants of a herd once legally run on federal land under a grazing permit. Environmentalists have continued to emphasize the threat the agricultural industry poses to sensitive habitats where endangered species congregate and live.
The federal government has emphasized the dangers the feral cattle pose to endangered species, as well. In its decision memo, the USFS posted several pictures of what it said was sensitive habitat destroyed by feral cattle.
“The presence of feral cattle within the Gila Wilderness has resulted in resource damage, especially to riparian areas where cattle congregate during warmer drier months,” the USFS memo says. “In recent years, Forest staff have documented occurrences of resource impacts from feral cattle, such as severe over grazing.”
<div id="attachment_503865" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-503865" class="wp-image-503865 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/USFS-overgrazing-1024x515.png" alt="" width="1024" height="515" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/USFS-overgrazing-1024x515.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/USFS-overgrazing-300x151.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/USFS-overgrazing-768x386.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/USFS-overgrazing.png 1218w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service.</div>
Falen said the photos showed damage that could have been from cattle, but also could have been from elk or deer. The government, by blaming at most 150 animals for habitat damage in a 560,000-acre wilderness, is exaggerating the toll the wild cattle are taking on the area, she said.

New Mexico Sign

Federal Helicopter Teams Set To Gun Down Wild Cattle In New Mexico. Ranchers Are Furious.

Federal Government

New Mexico

Menu