Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026

Floor Speech

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Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, while I support the Senate Amendment to H.R. 5371, which puts an end to the Democrats' reckless and unnecessary 43- day government shutdown, I strongly oppose Section 781 of this bill, which would deal a fatal blow to American farmers supplying the regulated hemp industry and small businesses, and jeopardize tens of billions of dollars in economic activity.

The 2018 Farm Bill expanded the definition of hemp and established a successful framework for the hemp industry. Under this framework, the hemp industry supports over 320,000 American jobs, generates $28.4 billion in regulated market activity, and produces some $1.5 billion in state tax revenue.

The hemp industry has stepped forward to self-regulate in the absence of uniform federal regulations--uniting behind a framework which restricts the sale and possession of hemp products to adults 21 years and older, standardizes packaging to eliminate ``look-a-like'' products that are appealing to children, standardizes labeling to empower adult consumers to make informed choices, and requires independent third- party laboratory tests for consumable hemp products. They have been asking Congress to pass legislation to responsibly regulate their industry.

Rather than adopt this common-sense regulatory framework to protect children and allow adults to make informed decisions, Section 781 of this bill essentially imposes a national ban of all ingestible hemp products with any ``quantifiable'' level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which represents between 90 and 95 percent of hemp products in the marketplace, including the vast majority of non-intoxicating cannabidiol (CBD) products offered in the marketplace.

Section 781 of this bill would needlessly and arbitrarily change the definition of legal hemp rather than responsibly regulating the market, This would effectively turn out the lights on America's legal hemp farmers, preempt the work being done in states to create regulatory frameworks for hemp products, and restrict consumer choice for the tens of millions of Americans who use hemp-derived products.

Approximately 20 percent of American adults report using CBD or a hemp-derived product in the preceding 12 months. These products are here; they are widespread, and they are not going away. As the failed war on drugs has shown, provisions like this drive out responsible actors from the industry and embolden shady, black-market actors who care not for consumer safety or the protection of children.

Rather than have a substantive, open debate on the future of hemp policy in America, prohibitionists slipped this provision into a must- pass government funding bill, forcing Members of Congress to choose between voting their conscience on hemp and paying our military servicemembers. This is wrong.

I opposed this language when prohibitionists tried to insert it into the Agriculture-FDA Appropriations bill last fiscal year, I opposed the language when they tried to insert it into the farm bill, I continue to oppose this language. But I cannot vote to keep this government shut down and force the approximately 35,000 military servicemembers in South Carolina to work without pay.

In the year before this provision takes effect, I will work tirelessly to reverse this harmful language and create a common-sense regulatory framework which protects America's children, ensures product quality, and preserves access to products used by tens of millions of Americans.

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