Congress bans cyanide bombs on public lands after decades of poisoning families

What it does

This bill prohibits the use of M-44 devices—spring-loaded traps that eject sodium cyanide when triggered—on all federal public lands managed by the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and Forest Service. The bill requires federal, state, and county agencies to remove any M-44 devices already deployed on public land within 30 days of enactment. M-44s are used to kill coyotes and other predators suspected of attacking livestock, but the bill's findings document that they kill nontarget animals (including family dogs, eagles, and endangered species) at high rates, have poisoned at least 42 people since 1984, and succeed in killing their intended target only 53% of the time.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward prohibition on a specific toxic device on public lands, supported by detailed findings documenting harm to humans and nontarget wildlife. It is a protective measure, not a regulatory carve-out or subsidy.

What the text implies

• Livestock producers relying on M-44s for predator control will need to adopt alternative methods (lethal or nonlethal); the bill does not fund transition assistance or alternative predator-management programs, potentially shifting costs to ranchers.
• The prohibition applies only to public lands, not private land; ranchers on private property may continue using M-44s, creating a patchwork of regulation that may complicate enforcement and wildlife management.
• State and county agencies must remove existing M-44s within 30 days; agencies lacking budget or staffing may face compliance challenges, though the timeline is explicit and enforceable.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Ordinary citizens and their families gain protection from accidental exposure to a highly toxic pesticide on public lands they use for recreation, and nontarget wildlife (including endangered species and family pets) are protected from indiscriminate poisoning. The bill removes a hazard that has documented history of harming children and adults, with no offsetting public cost.

Named in the bill

National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Forest Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act

Where it stands

16 cosponsors: 16 Democrats.

• Jun 26, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jun 26, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture and House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

4 lobbying clients named this bill on 6 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $510,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 10 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 72% of bills with at least one filing.

Jared Huffman, the sponsor, reported $332,813 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Humane World Action Fund — $280,000 on 1 filing
• Animal Legal Defense Fund — $140,000 on 2 filings
• Animal Welfare Institute Fka Society for Animal Protective Legislation — $70,000 on 2 filings
• Animal Legal Defense Fund — $20,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 23, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.