WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Wednesday after Monsanto agreed to a buyout offer from Bayer in a deal that would create the world’s largest supplier of seeds and farm chemicals:

“The attempted takeover of Monsanto by Bayer is a threat to all Americans. These mergers boost the profits of huge corporations and leave Americans paying even higher prices. Not only should this merger be blocked, but the Department of Justice should reopen its investigation of Monsanto’s monopoly over the seed and chemical market.”