New federal lobbying declaration records released last night reveal that Bayer ramped up federal lobbying in Q1 2026, upping the stakes of their pressure campaign to block health-related pesticide lawsuits in advance of a high profile Supreme Court case that will take up the issue. Food & Water Watch analysis of Bayer disclosures found that the corporation spent just over $2 million on federal lobbying in Q1 — a 16% increase from Q4 2025.

On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Monsanto v. Durnell. With the Trump administration’s repeated support, Bayer is seeking a ruling that would shield the corporation from lawsuits brought by cancer patients who allege Bayer failed to warn them about health risks linked to Roundup. Food & Water Watch and allies submitted an amicus in favor of Durnell, earlier this month.

Food & Water Watch Staff Attorney Dani Replogle issued the following statement:

“As cancer lawsuits cut into profits, Roundup producer Bayer is getting desperate. The corporation is throwing everything at the wall in their campaign to silence the sick. Now, after failing in the states, Bayer is spending big money to woo Washington in advance of its high stakes Supreme Court case next week.

“While Bayer money has bought President Trump’s support, it can’t buy the public. Opposition to Bayer’s Cancer Gag Act campaign is at fever pitch. Congress must pass the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act to safeguard the right to justice for all harmed by toxic pesticides.”

Food & Water Watch research catalogues Bayer’s liability campaign. Since purchasing Monsanto in 2018, Bayer has spent over $11 billion settling over 100,000 cancer lawsuits related to Roundup, whose active ingredient glyphosate the World Health Organization defines as a probable carcinogen.

Bayer is also pushing widely-opposed Cancer Gag Act bills nationwide, seeking to shield pesticide corporations from health-related lawsuits. The corporation is behind a similar provision in the Farm Bill, currently awaiting a floor vote in the House of Representatives.