Roger Marshall is as spineless of a politician as they come. For years, Marshall advocated against Proposition 12, a California rule that required Kansas farmers to increase animal enclosure sizes if they wanted to sell to the Golden State. He led two separate pieces of legislation in the Senate to override Prop 12, positioning himself as a protector of Kansas farmers and ranchers who faced regulatory burden from the rule. But when the industry turned down his pleas for a defensive ad campaign and opposing groups started targeting him with TV ads, Marshall quietly withdrew his support for his own bill. When he’s feeling the heat, it is very clear that Roger Marshall lacks the principle to stand for anyone but himself and his own interests.
Proposition 12 Required All Meat Producers Selling Into The State Of California To Increase The Enclosure Sizes For Egg-Laying Hens, Breeding Pigs, And Veal Calves. According to KSBY, “Soon, California voters will cast their vote on Proposition 12, which would aim to increase space for egg-laying hens, breeding pigs, and veal calves. […] It’s a proposition that builds off of Proposition 2, which was passed in 2008. That proposition intended for breeding pigs, veal calves and egg-laying hens to be raised in ways that would allow them to lie down, stand up, extend their limbs and move around freely Daisy Freund, director of farm animal welfare for the ASPCA, says the agriculture industry interpreted Prop 2 as still keeping animals in cages. Prop 12 intends to change that over the next two years. ‘Proposition 12 builds on that by ensuring that indeed all of the hens in the state of California will be awarded a truly cage-free environment and it sets much longer living standards within that cage-free environment,’ Freund said.” [KSBY, 11/2/18]
Marshall Called Prop 12 Supporters “Radical Activists.” According to a press release from Sen. Marshall, “‘Look, these are radical activists, animal rights activists that are leading this charge against us.’ ‘We do not want California telling Kansas and Iowa farmers how to raise pigs, next is going to be cattle, then they’re going to tell us we can’t grow GMO corn. So we are drawing a line in the sand and saying no, thank you, California. This is Kansas, we’re gonna do it the way Kansans have done this for centuries.’” [Press Release – Sen. Marshall, 7/28/23]
Sen. Marshall Introduced His EATS Act, A Bill To Prevent One State From Regulating Agricultural Practices Of Other States. According to a press release from Sen. Marshall, “Today, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D., alongside Senators Chuck Grassley, John Cornyn, Tom Cotton, Deb Fischer, Kevin Cramer, Joni Ernst, Eric Schmitt, Ted Budd, and Bill Hagerty introduced legislation that preserves the right of states and local units of government to regulate agriculture within their jurisdiction, free from interference from other jurisdictions. The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act would prevent states like California from regulating farmers and ranchers nationwide. […] ‘The United States is constantly faced with non-tariff trade barriers from protectionist countries, hurting American agriculture’s access to new markets. The last thing we need is a big state like California imposing its will on ag-heavy states like Kansas with regulations that will also restrict our ability to trade among the states,’ said Senator Marshall. ‘This is a matter of state’s rights. If California wants to regulate agriculture in its own state, that’s fine, but California’s rules should not apply to Kansas, whose legislatures never approved of these regulations.’” [Press Release – Sen. Marshall, 6/15/23]
Marshall Said His EATS Act Would Protect Kansas Farmers And Ranchers. According to RFD-TV, “‘What this [EATS Act] does is preserve interstate commerce as we know it, it stops other states like California from telling us what we can do and not do and again, it’s a pig today, but next it’s going to be how we drill oil and gas that you can only make electric cars and electric tractors.’ ‘The animal rights activists are accusing us of everything from being communists, to I don’t even know what…But this is to protect Kansas farmers and ranchers and Iowa farmers and ranchers.’” [RFD-TV, 7/28/23]
2025: Marshall Co-Sponsored The Save Our Bacon Act—A Successor Bill To His EATS Act—Known In The Senate As The Food Security And Farm Protection Act. According to a press release from Sen. Marshall, “U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) introduced the Food Security and Farm Protection Act alongside colleagues on the Senate Agriculture Committee, which prohibits any state or local government from interfering with commerce and agricultural practices in another state outside their jurisdiction. This legislation was introduced in response to California’s Proposition 12, also known as the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative. This law sets minimum space requirements for egg-laying hens, breeding pigs, and veal calves, and prohibits the sale of products from animals raised in California or out-of-state that do not meet these standards. ‘The United States is constantly faced with non-tariff trade barriers from protectionist countries, which hurts American agriculture’s access to new markets. The last thing we need is for states like California imposing its will on ag-heavy states like Kansas with regulations that will also restrict our ability to trade among the states,’ said Senator Marshall. ‘Midwest farmers and ranchers who produce our nation’s food supply should not be hamstrung by coastal activist agendas that dictate production standards from hundreds of miles away, and I am proud to support this legislation that gives Kansas agriculture producers the freedom to produce safe, affordable food for all.’” [Press Release – Sen. Marshall, 4/9/25]
May 2026: The American Meat Producers Association Booked $530,000 In TV Ads Attacking Marshall Over His Support For The Save Our Bacon Act. According to the Sunflower State Journal, “An outside group that bills itself as an advocate for meat producers and farmers but is led by an established animal welfare lobbyist is dropping nearly a half-million-dollar ad buy against Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, who is up for reelection this year. A group called the American Meat Producers Association has spent or booked about $530,000 in televisions ads in Kansas that targets a provision in the Farm Bill supported by Marshall, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. The ads were scheduled to run from May.” [Sunflower State Journal, 6/4/26]
Marshall “Exploded” About The Opposition He Was Facing On The Save Our Bacon Act. According to DTN, “Advertising campaigns appearing in Kansas, along with political pressure, were successful enough that Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who originally co-sponsored the Food Security and Farm Protection Act, withdrew his support for the legislation on June 12. Rob Brenneman, an Iowa farmer and president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), was in the room when Marshall made the decision last week. ‘I was there when he exploded against the bill,’ Brenneman said, noting Marshall later removed his name from the list of co-sponsors after the meeting. ‘He was concerned about getting beat up by the animal activists, and he was concerned about all of us in the industry working together to pull in the same direction. And I was trying to reiterate that's what we were doing,’ he said.” [DTN, 6/22/26]
Marshall Had Unsuccessfully Requested Support From Industry Allies To Help Defend Him On The Airwaves. According to DTN, “Prior to making the decision, Marshall's office requested additional support, including television advertising defending legislators and the district. According to a source familiar with the matter, NPPC was unwilling to commit funding for such a campaign. They doubled down in a comment immediately after the withdrawal. ‘We do not have millions to spend on political advertising. What we do have is firsthand experience with the consequences of Prop. 12 and a clear understanding that one state should not set agricultural policy for the entire nation,’ Brenneman said.” [DTN, 6/22/26]
June 2026: Marshall Withdrew His Support For The Save Our Bacon Act. According to Ag Bull Trading, “That coalition took a hit on June 10, when Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) withdrew his sponsorship of the Senate bill. Marshall had been one of the provision’s most prominent advocates dating back to the 2023 EATS Act, but his office said he’s now prioritizing year-round E15 sales and helping Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.) get a farm bill across the finish line — a bill Boozman has said won’t include Save Our Bacon language because it lacks the votes to reach 60 in the Senate. NPPC President Bob Brenneman, an Iowa pork producer, called the move ‘disheartening,’ noting Marshall had long been one of the loudest voices arguing Prop 12 threatened interstate commerce.” [Ag Bull Trading, 6/22/26]
June 2026: The American Meat Producers Association Took Down Their Attack Ads Following Marshall’s Flip-Flop. According to the Sunflower State Journal, “An outside group that bills itself as an advocate for meat producers and farmers has reversed course with ads criticizing Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall for cosponsoring legislation that would prevent California from banning the in-state sale of whole pork meat from pigs confined in a cruel manner even if they're caged in another state. The American Meat Producers Association, led by an established animal welfare lobbyist, has pulled negative ads and replaced them with a new ad praising Marshall after he withdrew his support.” [Sunflower State Journal, 6/18/26]