House Oversight roundtable examines agricultural lawfare, R-CALF USA urges oversight of King Ranch case

BILLINGS, Mont., April 23, 2026 – On Tuesday, R-CALF USA Property Rights Chair Shad Sullivan testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform during a roundtable titled “Farming on Trial: The Growing Use of Lawfare Against American Agriculture.”
During his testimony, Sullivan detailed how combinations of regulatory actions, litigation, and land-use decisions, driven through government agencies, public-private partnerships, and environmental groups, are increasingly being used in ways that threaten the viability of family ranching operations, restrict production, and erode private property rights.
“Across the country, we are seeing the same pattern of land taken through eminent domain, grazing reduced, and operations pushed out through what can only be described as death by a thousand cuts,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan urged lawmakers to closely examine how these pressures are being applied to ensure that policies, programs, and federal funding do not contribute to the erosion of private property rights or the loss of domestic production.
Citing multiple cases, including federal and state enforcement actions and ongoing disputes across the West, Sullivan argued these reflect a broader shift toward centralized control of land and resources, threatening agricultural production, rural communities, and national food security.
As part of his testimony, Sullivan called on the committee to investigate Washington state’s actions affecting the King Ranch, which was fined more than $250,000 and stripped of its state grazing leases over disputed wetland allegations.
That request follows formal comments submitted last week by R-CALF USA, raising concerns about a proposed transfer of more than 12,000 acres of state grazing land tied directly to the King family’s operation. In those comments, R-CALF USA stated that proceeding with the transfer before adjudication of the underlying allegations “would be at best opportunistic and at worst sinister.”
“I appreciate Chairman Comer and the committee’s attention to this issue and urge continued oversight to ensure policies and enforcement actions do not undermine independent producers or private property rights,” Sullivan said. “We will continue fighting to push back against actions that restrict production and threaten the future of American agriculture.”
Watch Sullivan’s testimony: https://youtu.be/2LrGEAraJcE?si=8cn9OHqrsIPK6f1iWatch the full roundtable: https://www.youtube.com/live/HmYl-AppPn8

–R-CALF USA