U.S. Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, and Joe Neguse, D-Colorado, led the introduction of the Freedom for Agricultural Repair and Maintenance (FARM) Act last week, according to a news release from the office of Gluesenkamp Perez.
The bill would require farm equipment manufacturers to make certain documentation, parts, software and tools widely available to affirm farmer’s agency and right to repair their own equipment.
“In America, we respect farmers. We respect stewardship and self-determination, and we’ll fight to preserve for our children the heritage that infuses those values. This legislation affirms our right to feed ourselves, to be independent, and to be stewards of our tools — not hapless consumers,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “Coming out of the trades, I know you wouldn’t mess around in someone else’s toolbox any more than you’d waltz into their spouse’s bedroom. So, when corporate interests say to farmers that they can’t fix their own tools, they should know they’ve crossed a line. Congress ought to be clear that our loyalties are with America’s farmers — not the multinational conglomerates who are rolling them over a barrel.”
Specifically, the FARM Act would:
• Establish a comprehensive framework for the right to repair farm equipment.
• Define the type of information that Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are required to provide to make repair accessible.
• Give the Federal Trade Commission the ability to enforce the requirements and promulgate rules as necessary to carry out the requirements’ implementation
The full text of the bill can be found at https://tinyurl.com/bd4m5zr5. The FARM Act is endorsed by the National Farmers Union and the United States Public Interest Research Group, the release stated.
Last month, a provision backed by Gluesenkamp Perez to guarantee American servicemembers the right to repair their own equipment passed the House of Representatives as part of the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act. The congresswoman also introduced the REPAIR Act this past February, which would ensure vehicle owners have access to important repair and diagnostic data needed for auto repairs, according to the release.
