Securing American Agriculture Act
The Securing American Agriculture Act would require the Secretary of Agriculture to publish each year an assessment of the United States’ dependency on critical agricultural products or inputs sourced from the People’s Republic of China. The report would analyze current domestic production capacity and potential bottlenecks in supply chains that could be exploited if China weaponizes dependency, and it would include Secretary-authored recommendations—developed in consultation with the U.S. Trade Representative, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs—on how to reduce reliance on Chinese inputs. The bill defines a broad set of “critical inputs” covering farm management, agronomic, and field-applied production needs (including equipment, fuel, fertilizers, feed, veterinary drugs and vaccines, crop protection chemicals, seed, etc.). It also establishes protections for information provided by private entities, emphasizing voluntary participation, aggregate data, confidentiality, and limiting use to the purposes of the assessment. In short, the bill creates a structured, annual review and policy planning process aimed at reducing U.S. dependence on Chinese inputs for agriculture, with a focus on identifying vulnerabilities, proposing mitigation strategies, and facilitating onshore or nearshore production where feasible. It does not itself mandate new programs or funding, but it could inform future regulatory or legislative actions.
Key Points
- 1Annual assessment: The Secretary of Agriculture must submit, each year, an assessment of the United States’ dependency on critical agricultural inputs from China and related vulnerabilities to supply-chain disruption.
- 2Contents of the report: For each critical input, the assessment must cover (a) current domestic production capacity, and (b) current and potential bottlenecks in the supply chain that could be exploited by China; and it must include recommendations to reduce dependency, including actions to mitigate threats and to ease onshore or nearshore production.
- 3Definition of critical inputs: Broad category including all farm management, agronomic, and field-applied production inputs, such as agricultural equipment, fuel, fertilizers, feed (and components like vitamins, amino acids, minerals), veterinary drugs and vaccines, crop protection chemicals, seed, and any other inputs the Secretary designates.
- 4Data collection protections: Participation by private entities is voluntary; information provided must be aggregated or anonymized so identities are not discernible; the Secretary may not disclose confidential information outside the aggregate form; trade secrets or confidential information cannot be included; data used only to generate the assessment.
- 5Interagency/intersessional collaboration and reporting: The Secretary must consult with the U.S. Trade Representative, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs in formulating recommendations; the annual assessment is submitted to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committee on Agriculture.