Senator Marshall: China, Get the Hell Out of American Agriculture
Senator Marshall Delivers Remarks at Unveiling of USDA’s National Farm Security Action Plan
Washington – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, along with Governors from across the country, and other members of Congress, at the USDA, where they unveiled their National Farm Security Action Plan to protect American agriculture from foreign threats like China.
Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full remarks.
Full remarks as delivered:
“Well, good morning, everybody. America’s abundant food supply is not guaranteed. It’s a strategic asset we must fiercely protect. Farm and ranch security is national security, and I’m proud today to share how Kansas is at the heart of this mission. Today, we tell China to get the hell out of American agriculture. Today, China, here’s your ticket, do not pass go. Get the hell out of American agriculture, and the Trump administration is going to lead the way.
“Now, I want to start by just thanking Secretary Rollins, and maybe we can help you get some Angus cattle someday for your farm. But I do want to say thank Secretary Rollins, and President Trump, and his administration, for his unwavering commitment to our farmers, our ranchers, and rural America. The big reconciliation bill we just passed exemplifies this support. It strengthened the farm safety net, including increased reference prices, it makes key business tax deductions permanent, and doubles the estate tax exemption up to $30 million for couples, and streamlines the 45Z tax credit. Folks, 45Z is going to do more for agriculture than all the soybeans and sorghum we sold to China in the past five years.
“This bill empowers our agriculture communities and secures our family farms for generations to come. Now, as a fifth-generation farm kid, I learned how agriculture underpins our economic stability, our public health, our national defense, our geopolitical autonomy, and our rural way of life.
“It contributes $1.5 trillion to GDP and supports over 22 million jobs, yet we often take it for granted. Our farmers, ranchers, and our food supply chains face grave threats… specifically bioterrorism, procurement disruptions, and foreign ownership. A virus like COVID, which was made in a lab, could target our beef and dairy cattle industry next, or a fungus could devastate our wheat and our corn. Whether it’s from nature or made in a laboratory by a foreign adversary, these risks demand vigilance.
“Let me share how Kansas is leading the fight. We’re proud to host the Animal Health Corridor that stretches from Columbia, Missouri, to Manhattan, Kansas – the little apple – to Lincoln, Nebraska, where cutting-edge research thrives. And why in the world would we let scientists from foreign adversaries in those experiments and in those laboratories? I’ll never know. And why we’re doing research with American dollars in those foreign countries, or threats, I’ll never know either.
“I want to thank President Trump – in his first term, he welcomed the USDA Economic Research Service, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, to Kansas City, which complements the national bio-agro defense facility in Manhattan. This synergy makes Kansas a global hub for agricultural innovation.
“Our strength lies in our collaboration by uniting public and private sectors with land grant universities like my alma mater, the fighting, ever-fighting mighty Wildcats of Kansas State University, we’re building a resilient food supply. There you go. Coach Tuberville, ‘Let’s Go Wildcats.’
“I want to just commend the Department of Defense and all the agencies up here today for your joint efforts to combat diseases like avian influenza, screw worm, and foot and mouth, protecting our farmers and communities. And finally, this, let me just concur with Coach Tuberville that I’m going to champion for the Secretary of Agriculture to be part of CFIUS. President Trump could appoint her, and Congress can make that legal for years to come as well. That’s the best way to counter these emerging threats. Think about it – China, right now, owns land next to Whiteman Air Force Base where our B2s were launched, who did just a spectacular job of, yes, obliterating Iran’s nuclear armament.
“They own land next to Fort Riley, Kansas, home of the Big Red One Infantry Division as well. We need someone who thinks of agriculture when they wake up in the morning, and they go to bed, and they think of agriculture as national security. Again, we can’t take our food supply for granted. Kansas is leading the way, but it takes a national resolve to protect our farms, to fortify our biosecurity, and keep America’s food in American hands. Thank you so much. God bless.”
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Contact: Payton Fuller
