CEC Condemns House Passage of FY27 Agriculture Appropriations Bill

Washington, DC — After the House passed H.R. 8646, the Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2027, which included two anti-LGBTQI+ riders, Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Takano released the following statement:

"Republicans’ obsession with attacking LGBTQI+ people has infected every part of the legislative process. This vote marks the 20th anti-LGBTQI+ vote on the House floor this Congress," said Rep. Mark Takano, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. "Banning Pride flags won’t help American farmers, and enabling discrimination against LGBTQI+ people won’t make it any easier to end hunger in the U.S. We’ve beat these riders before, and we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure we beat them again."


BACKGROUND
H.R. 8646, the Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2027 contains two anti-LGBTQI+ riders:

Sec. 757 would prohibit funds appropriated by the bill from being used by the Secretary of Agriculture, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or the Chairman of the Farm Credit Administration to fly or display the pride flag (as well as other flags) over covered facilities.

Sec. 764 creates a license for federal employees and organizations receiving taxpayer funds to discriminate against LGBTQI+ people under the guise of religious liberty by preventing the federal government from adequately responding when such discrimination occurs (e.g., by reducing or terminating federal grants or contracts to organizations that discriminate or terminating an employee who engaged in discrimination).