 and Filemon Vela (D-TX) introduced the bipartisan Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act, which would combat foreign interference in America’s agriculture supply chain through reforms to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).){kind=link}
Last Updated on October 5, 2021 – 2:12 PM CDT
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressmen Ronny Jackson (R-TX) and Filemon Vela (D-TX) introduced the bipartisan Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act, which would combat foreign interference in America’s agriculture supply chain through reforms to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.
Information released by Rep. Ronny Jacksons Office says foreign investment in the American agriculture industry has grown at a rapid pace. Foreign investors currently control at least 28.3 million acres of agriculture land in the U.S. valued at $52.2 billion.
The FARM Act will help counter foreign investment into, and interference of, the American agriculture industry by modernizing CFIUS. Specifically, this bill would reform CFIUS by:
- Designating the agriculture industry and overarching supply chains as critical infrastructure.
- Requiring CFIUS to monitor foreign investment into our agriculture industry.
- Adding the Secretary of Agriculture as a member of CFIUS.
Additionally, the FARM Act would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate and report to Congress on the national security implications of foreign investment into the American agriculture sector.
In a statement released to the press, Jackson said “Foreign interference in America’s agriculture supply chain poses a serious national security threat, especially given that the worst proponent is the Chinese Communist Party. I represent the top-rated agriculture district in Texas, so protecting this vital industry and its overarching supply chains will always be among my top priorities in Congress. Our adversaries are working overtime to undermine American interests, and the FARM Act will be an important step to secure America’s food supply by identifying and responding to inappropriate interference.”
Original cosponsors of the FARM Act include Representatives Michael Burgess (TX-26), Tony Gonzales (TX-23), Jim Baird (IN-04), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Mary Miller (IL-15), Steve Womack (AR-03), Ted Budd (NC-13), Michael Guest (MS-03), and Kat Cammack (FL-03).