Follow the Money to Find Out Who Voted Against GMO Food Labeling
U.S. House members who voted for H.R. 1599 received an average of three times as much in campaign donations from the agribusiness and food and beverage industries than those who opposed it.
U.S. House members who voted in favor of a bill to ban states from requiring labels on genetically modified food received $29.9 million from the agribusiness industry and food and beverage industry during the 2014 election cycle.
That’s according to an analysis by OpenSecrets, which found that Congress members who voted in favor of H.R. 1599 received an average of $108,900 in campaign donations from those industries.
In contrast, lawmakers who opposed the measure received an average of just $38,977 per member, or $5.8 million total.
Among the bill’s opponents were Hawaii Reps. Mark Takai and Tulsi Gabbard, who harshly criticized the measure.