House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer said on Apr. 21 that increasing use of legal actions and regulations is harming American farmers and ranchers. Speaking at a full committee roundtable titled “Farming on Trial: A Roundtable on the Growing Use of Lawfare Against American Agriculture,” Comer said these challenges put the future security of agriculture in the United States at risk.
Comer said that burdensome regulations, costly litigation, and criminal prosecution have created serious problems for farmers, including threats to their livelihoods, property rights, and way of life. He described these efforts as a “legal war against farmers across America,” which he said has resulted in erosion of due process, private land rights, and economic viability for family farms.
During his remarks, Comer discussed specific cases involving individual farm families. He highlighted Charles and Heather Maude from South Dakota who faced federal prosecution over fencing issues related to Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. According to Comer, “The charges against Heather and Charles were dropped, sensibly, by the Trump Administration in 2025.” He also spoke about Wade and Teresa King from Washington state who were penalized by state authorities for maintaining stock ponds that had existed since before they were born.
Comer introduced Secretary Rollins’s Farmer and Rancher Freedom Framework as a new policy effort intended to reverse what he called years of systemic lawfare against agriculture. The framework focuses on protecting producers, preserving land rights, removing burdensome regulations, and strengthening partnerships with the agricultural sector.
The roundtable included guests such as Marty Jackley (Attorney General for South Dakota), Shad Sullivan (Private Property Rights Committee Chair for R-CALF USA), and Margaret Byfield (Executive Director of American Stewards of Liberty). Comer concluded by saying that the House Committee will continue working with whistleblowers affected by agricultural lawfare to bring justice to their stories while reforming policies impacting them.
