Protecting U.S. Land from Foreign Adversaries

House Republicans understand the threat from countries like China and how they are actively infiltrating every inch of this country, and one of the ways is by buying up farm land, particularly near military bases and installations. According to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA), it is the responsibility of the federal government, through departments like USDA and DoD, to identify and analyze transactions that could pose national security risks associated with U.S. agricultural land. My colleagues and I want to make sure those departments are doing their job, which is why I cosponsored the AFIDA Improvements Act to address key gaps in AFIDA. This legislation streamlines processes and codifies recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that include improved data sharing, updated Farm Service Agency AFIDA handbooks, and a new requirement to report foreign investors with minority stakes in agricultural land assets.

In short, this legislation improves data sharing processes, allows Congress to hold government agencies to their commitments, and better protects our farmland from adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party.

FARMER Act

Farmers everywhere rely on crop insurance as their top risk management tool, but the current practice of providing ad hoc assistance after a disaster is both inefficient and costly. This year, I proudly cosponsored my friend Congressman Brad Finstad's (MN-01) Federal Agriculture Risk Management Enhancement and Resilience (FARMER) Act to bolster crop insurance affordability while providing improved coverage. Specifically, this legislation would:

• Increase premium support for higher levels of crop insurance coverage, which will enhance affordability and reduce the need for ad-hoc disaster assistance;
• Improve the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) by increasing premium support and expanding the coverage level, providing producers with an additional level of protection, and;
• Direct the Risk Management Agency (RMA) to conduct a study to improve the effectiveness of SCO in large counties.

These reforms will lessen the need for ad hoc assistance while improving producers' fundamental risk tool.

Expanding Market Access for Pork Producers

I am proud to say that the Ways and Means Committee is committed to improving the lives of our ag producers. One of our biggest priorities is expanding export access for our producers. This spring, I joined my colleagues in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Tai regarding South Africa and their failure to allow adequate market access for American pork producers, using unscientific sanitation claims. In our letter, we ask Ambassador Tai to pursue this issue in her bilateral discussions with the South African government and also as she reviews the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which stipulates America's trade agreements with several African countries.

I spoke with panelists about this during a Ways and Means Committee Hearing, which you can watch here. It is critical that fair trade practices are maintained, and my colleagues and I are keeping these issues front and center.

Urging the EPA to increase Renewable Volume Obligations

Renewable Volume Obligations, or RVOs, are an opportunity for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to facilitate production and growth in sustainable home-grown energy sources. Unfortunately, the volumes the Agency set for 2023-2025 were not set high enough to reflect the country's production capacity, which led to a collapse in the value producers can receive in the renewable fuels market. The poor market conditions, I'm sorry to say, has caused several biodiesel plants across the country to shut down.

This year, I joined my colleagues in sending a letter to EPA Administrator Regan to significantly increase RVOs to levels consistent with production and availability as they look to 2026. This is an easy and significant way the government can promote opportunities that support economic growth in rural communities and lower costs for consumers. 

Investing in Rural America

Rural communities across the country are struggling to retain population, much less attract future generations. One way Congress can support them is by eliminating unnecessary regulatory barriers to capital investment, particularly on critical community facilities like hospitals, childcare centers, and senior care centers. My Investing in Rural America Act would do just that by eliminating unnecessary regulatory barriers to capital investment. Specifically, this legislation encourages investment in rural communities by: 

• Restoring and codifying farm credit institutions' eligibility to finance essential rural facilities in partnership with local lenders and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program,
• Placing explicit guardrails around FCI's authorities in financing essential community facilities, including a requirement to offer participation with at least one non-FCI lending institution on any potential project, and
• Requiring a report to Congress on the projects undertaken by FCIs, including the partnerships established between lending institutions for such projects.

I am proud to introduce bills that attract private sector investment in these kinds of facilities, strengthening our rural communities and encouraging future generations to see them as home. 

Thank you for reading!

fischbach.house.gov

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