Securing American Agriculture Act
- Bill Number
- S. 912
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Agriculture and Food
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-03-10: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-20T11:03:28Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Securing American Agriculture Act aims to evaluate and address U.S. reliance on essential agricultural products and inputs from China, which could be used as leverage in geopolitical tensions. It requires the Secretary of Agriculture to produce an annual report assessing vulnerabilities and proposing strategies to build domestic or regional alternatives, enhancing food security and supply chain resilience.
Key Provisions
- Annual Assessment Requirement: The Secretary of Agriculture must submit a yearly report to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committee on Agriculture. The report focuses on U.S. dependency on "critical inputs" from China that could be exploited (e.g., through export restrictions or disruptions).
- Report Contents:
- Analysis of domestic production capacity for each critical input.
- Identification of current and potential supply chain bottlenecks that China could target.
- Recommendations, developed in consultation with the U.S. Trade Representative, Secretary of Commerce, and Commissioner of Food and Drugs, to reduce dependency. These include:
- Measures to counter threats from China to supply chains.
- Suggestions for laws or regulations to ease barriers to producing these inputs in the U.S. or nearby countries ("onshore or nearshore" production).
- Definition of Critical Inputs: Includes farm tools like equipment, machinery, and technology; fuel; fertilizers; animal feed and its components (e.g., vitamins, amino acids, minerals); veterinary drugs and vaccines; crop protection chemicals (e.g., pesticides); seeds; and any other inputs deemed essential by the Secretary.
- Data Handling Rules:
- Information collection is voluntary; no private entity can be forced to provide data.
- Data must be used only in aggregated form (summarized without identifying sources) to protect privacy.
- Strict confidentiality: Trade secrets or sensitive business information (protected under federal laws like the Freedom of Information Act exemptions or criminal disclosure statutes) cannot be included or disclosed.
- Provided information is immune from use in other government actions.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This bill introduces a new mandatory annual reporting obligation for the Department of Agriculture, with no direct amendments to prior laws. It builds on existing supply chain security frameworks (e.g., those addressing national security risks) by specifically targeting agriculture and China-related dependencies, while adding novel protections for voluntary data submission to encourage industry participation without legal compulsion.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: The Department of Agriculture will face ongoing administrative burdens for report preparation and interagency consultations, potentially influencing budget allocations for supply chain analysis. Other agencies like Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative may need to adjust priorities toward agricultural trade risks.
- Citizens and Economy: Farmers and agribusinesses could benefit from recommendations that stabilize input supplies, reducing risks of price spikes or shortages during trade disputes. Consumers might see indirect effects through more reliable food production, though short-term costs could arise from shifting production domestically.
- International Relations: Heightens focus on U.S.-China tensions by spotlighting economic vulnerabilities, potentially straining bilateral trade talks or encouraging diversification to allies (e.g., nearshore production in North America). It promotes strategic decoupling in agriculture without imposing immediate tariffs or bans.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Federal Government: Department of Agriculture (lead role in reporting); congressional agriculture committees (recipients of reports); U.S. Trade Representative, Department of Commerce, and Food and Drug Administration (consultation partners).
- Agriculture Sector: Farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses reliant on imported inputs (e.g., fertilizer or seed producers), who may provide voluntary data and benefit from reduced vulnerabilities.
- Trade and Industry Partners: U.S. exporters/importers of ag products; international suppliers (especially from China or alternative regions) affected by diversification efforts.
- Broader Public: Rural communities dependent on stable farming operations.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Reinforces protections for proprietary information under existing statutes (e.g., avoiding Freedom of Information Act disclosures), promoting voluntary compliance without raising Fourth Amendment concerns over data seizures. The bill's focus on aggregate reporting minimizes antitrust or privacy risks.
- Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's commerce clause authority to regulate interstate and foreign trade, including national security aspects of agriculture, without infringing on free speech or due process.
- Political: Signals bipartisan concern (introduced by a mix of senators) over China as an economic threat, potentially fueling debates on trade policy and self-reliance. It could influence future legislation on supply chain reforms but avoids partisan mandates, emphasizing assessment over enforcement.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (12)
Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID], Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV], Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO], Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID], Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY], Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE], Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY], Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL], Sen. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI], Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA], Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA], Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC]
Recent Actions
- 2025-03-10: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 2025-03-10: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Securing American Agriculture Act — issued 2025-03-10 — PDF (5 pages)