News Releases

Stay up to date with EWG and explore our latest news releases. 

Areas of Focus

Areas of Focus

Displaying 21 - 40 of 149

Lawmakers Threaten To Derail Proposal To Eliminate Black Farmers’ Debt

Two members of the House Agriculture Committee are trying to derail a provision in the budget reconciliation bill that would eliminate all federal farm debt held by Black farmers.

Biden’s Pick To Head USDA Recognizes New Food and Farm Challenges

Today President Biden's nominee for secretary of agriculture, Tom Vilsack, who held the same post in the Obama administration, testified in his confirmation hearing before the Senate Agriculture...

National Black Farmers Association and EWG Applaud the Justice for Black Farmers Act

The following is the statement of John Boyd, founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, and Scott Faber, EWG's senior vice president for government affairs, on the introduction...

Government Watchdog Report Finds Many Top Recipients of Trump’s Farmer Bailout Boondoggle Are Not Even Farmers

Since 2018, in response to retaliatory tariffs from President Trump's long-term trade war with China, the Department of Agriculture has paid many billions of dollars to farmers supposedly suffering...

McConnell COVID-19 Relief Package Fails Hungry Families, Food and Farm Workers

The following is a statement from Scott Faber, EWG's senior vice president of government affairs, on the COVID-19 relief package released today by Senate Republicans.

EWG Seeks USDA Records on $12 Billion Payout for Farmers Hit by Trump’s Trade War

The Environmental Working Group has petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture for all records concerning its decision to pay up to $12 billion to farmers harmed by retaliatory tariffs levied on U...

Due to His Own Trade War, Trump Gives Nearly $5 Billion in Taxpayer Money to Mega Farms

The Trump administration released details today on its emergency aide package in the form of direct payments for big farm operations, with the bulk of the taxpayer aid flowing to U.S. soybean farmers.

EWG: Senate Farm Bill Far Better Than House Proposal, But Fails to Rein in Farm Subsidies

Scott Faber, vice president of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group, issued the following statement today on the full Senate's passage of its version of the farm bill.

House Passes Farm Bill That Would Let Billionaires, Non-Farmers Collect Farm Subsidies

House Republicans pushed through their version of the 2018 Farm Bill today, which would waste billions more in taxpayer money with new loopholes. The bill would let the super rich and people who don't...

Statement from EWG on the Senate Farm Bill

Scott Faber, vice president of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group, issued the following statement today on passage of the Senate version of the farm bill by the Senate Committee on...

Ahead of Farm Bill Markup, EWG Urges Senate to Back Grassley’s Subsidy Reform Efforts

On Wednesday, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, will offer an amendment to the Senate farm bill that would tighten requirements for farm subsidies. The Environmental Working Group urged support for...

EWG Statement on Senate’s Bipartisan Farm Bill

Scott Faber, vice president of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group, issued the following statement today on the Senate version of the farm bill.

Nearly 28,000 Farmers Got USDA Payments for 32 Straight Years, Totaling $19 Billion

Nearly 28,000 U.S. farmers received taxpayer-funded federal farm subsidies or disaster relief payments for 32 straight years, according to a new EWG analysis of data from the Department of Agriculture...

House Farm Bill Fails

House leaders failed to garner enough support to pass their version of the 2018 farm bill. The following is a statement from Environmental Working Group Senior Vice President for Government Affairs...

Double Dippers: How Big, Rich Farms Get Subsidized Twice For One Loss

Through federal farm programs, American taxpayers are routinely paying thousands of wealthy mega-farms twice for the same "loss," according to a new EWG report.

EWG: Mega-Farms Reap Billions from Taxpayers in Farm Subsidies

Farming operations directly received more than $14 billion in taxpayer-funded commodity subsidies in 2015 and 2016, according to the latest analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture data obtained by...

EWG Report: Is Federal Crop Insurance Policy Leading to a New Dust Bowl?

Federal crop insurance policy is rewarding Southern Great Plains farmers' failure to adapt to drought and hotter weather, and encouraging practices that could lead to another Dust Bowl, according to a...

New Report Shows Farmers Win Big on Crop Insurance

Most farmers collect more money in crop insurance payouts than they pay in premiums on their federal policies over time, making the term “insurance” a misnomer, according to a new report from EWG.

Budget Proposal Would Reform Broken Crop Insurance Program

Proposed cuts to crop insurance and other expensive farm subsidy programs in the Obama administration's 2017 budget would be good for taxpayers and the environment, EWG said in a statement today.

Farm Bill “Reforms” Fall Flat as Crop Subsidies Soar in New Projections

Despite promises from Congress that reforms to the farm subsidy program would save taxpayers money, spending on subsidies will soar in the next three years, according to new government spending...

Media Inquiries

If you are a member of the press, our communications team will connect you with the right EWG expert. Please contact one of our communications staff to schedule interviews with or comments from our researchers, analysts and other experts.

Join EWG's online community of 30 million. Sign up today to receive email updates.
Connect with EWG experts

Our environmental health experts have the latest insights and breakthrough research to help you make better decisions about the products you buy and the goods you use.