WASHINGTON, D.C. — Standing with Ben & Jerry's founder Jerry Greenfield and executives from Stonyfield Farm, Patagonia and other major American companies, Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, called for labeling of food made with GMO ingredients and opposed Republican efforts to block labeling laws in states like Maine.

"The hardest question to answer about GMO labeling is when someone asks "what's the argument against it," Pingree said in a news release. "The truth is, there is no argument."

Pingree said nearly all foods have labeling requirements about ingredients that are both good or bad.

"It's even the law that if orange juice is made from concentrate it must say so right there on the label—in letters at least half as tall as the name of the juice," Pingree said.

Pingree was critical of a bill that would overturn GMO labeling laws already passed by many states. The so-called "DARK Act" also blocks any future federal or state requirements about listing GMO ingredients, and even limits the ability of the Food and Drug Administration to require that companies disclose those ingredients.

Pingree was joined by Greenfield, Representatives Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Annie Kuster D-N.H., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., Stonyfield Farms founder Gary Hirshberg, Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario, Happy Family CEO Shazi Visram, and Josh Brau, a top executive for Chipotle.

Pingree said the use of GMO crops that are resistant to glyphosate—the main ingredient in the herbicide Roundup—has resulted in a dramatic increase in the use of that chemical.

Pingree also cited the role of widespread glyphosate use in the disappearance of milkweed in much of the country, which has resulted in a steep decline in the monarch butterfly population.

Legislation leads to funding for farmers switching to organic

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced almost $12 million in funding to help farmers become certified organic. Legislation written by Pingree, the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act, included the increased funding and the provision was later included in the Farm Bill.

"The demand for organic food is far outpacing the supply," Pingree said in a news release. "Organic products bring a higher price which is good for farmers, but the cost of getting certified is sometimes a stumbling block. Helping out with those expenses is good for local farm economies and good for consumers."

The USDA is making $11.9 million available to farmers seeking to get certified and for current organic farmers who need to pay to recertification fees. Most of the funding will flow through State Agriculture Agencies, but nearly $1 million will be available through the Agricultural Management Assistance Organic Certification Cost Share Program to farmers in Maine and a handful of other states.

King backs effort to recognize women on $20 bill

U.S. Senator Angus King, I-Maine, announced that he has signed onto legislation that would direct the Secretary of the Treasury to convene a panel of citizens to recommend a woman whose likeness would be featured on a new twenty dollar bill. Senator King released the following statement:

"From Maine's own Margaret Chase Smith to Frances Perkins, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman and many, many others, the United States has a long and proud history of women leaders who have courageously broken down barriers, ushered in social change, and advanced the course of history," Senator King said in a news release.

"Today, we continue to reap the benefits of their hard-fought achievements. By giving women a distinguished place on our currency, we will at least take a step toward recognizing and honoring their monumental contributions to our nation," said King.

Although U.S. paper currency has been redesigned several times to improve legibility and prevent counterfeiting, the portraits on the seven main bill denominations have not changed in nearly a century. Those portraits were chosen by a special Treasury-appointed panel of citizens in the late 1920s.

The Women on the Twenty Act, which was introduced by Senator Jeanne Shaheen. D-N.H., would allow for a new citizen panel to be appointed that would take into consideration the input of the American public to select a woman to honor in this way.