Reps. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) are pushing new legislation that would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to formulate strategies to counter potential threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to American agricultural supply chains. In addition, the bill would eliminate regulatory barriers that the lawmakers say are detrimental to promoting domestic agricultural production.
“China has captured significant market share for agricultural inputs that are vital to our domestic food supply, ceding our top adversary leverage and control,” Hinson said in an interview after announcing the legislation. She continued: “Iowa farmers have told me firsthand that if China decides to shut off U.S. access to these inputs, food production could slow to a halt.”
The CCP has made significant investments in global agriculture production in recent years, buying up large swaths of farmland worldwide and purchasing large stakes in agricultural-sector companies. These moves have raised concerns with federal and state lawmakers in the U.S., with several state governments moving to block further Chinese land acquisitions last year. Recent attempts by the Chinese company Fufeng Group to procure land in North Dakota for a corn mill project were blocked by local officials after the U.S. Air Force raised concerns about the project’s proximity to a nearby military base.
Supported by the top lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, the bill would require annual evaluations of the federal government to assess the health and safety of domestic agricultural supply chains and China’s potential influence over them. The new legislation comes amidst increasing concerns in Congress regarding China’s infiltration of the U.S. technology sector — as well as the pervasive influence of the TikTok social media app, owned by China-based technology conglomerate ByteDance.
