U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis (both R-WY) are joining U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) in introducing the bipartisan Securing American Agriculture Act. This legislation would protect Wyoming food and agriculture supply chains from being taken over by foreign adversaries.
“Protecting America’s agricultural and food supply chains from Chinese Communist Party threats is a top priority,” said Barrasso. “China’s alarming influence on the global agricultural supply chain puts our national security at risk. This legislation will strengthen our agricultural and food security and enable us to act on potential threats against America’s supply chain.”
“The threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) extends far beyond our borders. From the content we consume on our devices to threats in the Pacific to the slave labor being used to manufacture clothing, the CCP has had an incredibly damaging influence on the United States. We cannot allow our foreign adversaries like China to control us. This commonsense, bipartisan legislation is a crucial step toward safeguarding America’s future,” said Lummis.
China controls more than 90% of global production of many essential vitamins used in agricultural production, particularly in animal feed. A disruption in the supply of these key inputs could severely damage U.S. supply chains, affecting productivity and food prices.
The Securing American Agriculture Act would:
- Require the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with the U.S. Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce, to conduct an annual threat assessment of critical food and agricultural supply chains.
- Require the Secretary of Agriculture to provide recommendations to mitigate potential threats from the PRC and for legislative and regulatory actions to reduce barriers to domestic critical input production.
