Waterloo Times

Today, the Department of Agriculture (USDA), led by Secretary Brooke Rollins, announced a national security plan in collaboration with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi. The initiative is part of the Trump Administration's "Make Agriculture Great Again" effort. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson expressed her support for this initiative.

Hinson stated, "Farms, food, and supply chains are national security assets—and they should be treated as such. Right now, farmers rely on feed and other inputs from China—compromising the integrity of our food supply and giving China leverage to shut off our access. I introduced bipartisan legislation to secure our agriculture supply chain domestically, and I’m glad President Trump is incorporating my legislation in this key initiative to end our dangerous reliance on China. President Trump’s leadership will change the course of history and ensure America is positioned to win our strategic competition with China on every front."

The USDA's National Security Plan aims to protect American agriculture supply chains from foreign adversaries like China. As part of the plan, the USDA will create a list of critical agricultural inputs and materials while conducting regular assessments to identify risks within the sector. Rep. Hinson's Securing American Agriculture Act requires annual assessments of vulnerabilities in U.S. food and agriculture supply chains, with reports submitted to Congress containing recommendations for securing these chains.

Rep. Hinson also secured language in the FY26 bill passed by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture that mandates a report from the Secretary of Agriculture regarding dependency on China for critical agriculture inputs.