Senator Marshall Applauds FBI for Stopping Potential Billion-Dollar “Agroterrorism” Event Against Kansas’ Wheat Crops

Washington –U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) today issued a statement applauding the FBI’s recent arrest of two Chinese nationals, with alleged Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ties, who were caught smuggling the fungus Fusarium Graminearum into the United States. This fungus can cause ‘head blight’, which devastates wheat, barley, maize, and rice crops, and has caused billions of dollars in economic losses globally. When ingested, the toxins can cause liver damage, vomiting, and reproductive defects in both humans and livestock.

“I want to thank FBI Director Kash Patel for saving Kansas’ economy and America’s food supply from potential ruin. Kansas, the largest wheat producer in America, faces the constant threat of wheat scab, a devastating disease that could wipe out a major portion of both Kansas’ and the United States’ economy,” said Senator Marshall. “I have long maintained that food security is national security, and the FBI’s arrest of two individuals with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party only reinforces the critical need to protect American agriculture from foreign influence, interference, and ownership.”

Background:

• Senator Marshall previously introduced the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act, which would help prevent improper foreign interference and disruption to the U.S. agriculture industry.
• Senator Marshall has also continuously spoken out against the lies around COVID-19, both from China and the Biden-Harris Administration.  
• In 2024, Senator Marshall joined fellow Kansas U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (R-Kansas-01) in demanding that he stand up against a proposal before the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Council that would alter governance and leadership arrangements at the FAO, strengthen China’s position in the organization, and weaken American agricultural leadership on the world stage.
  

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