Governor Bill Lee joined Trump administration officials in Washington, D.C. for the announcement of the National Farm Security Action Plan unveiled on Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“Tennesseans know that our farmland is our national security, our economic future, and our children’s heritage,” said Lee during the press conference. “The National Farm Security Action Plan puts America First by defending our farmland from foreign adversaries and protecting our food supply, and I thank the Trump Administration for its bold leadership.”
The full details of the plan were released after the press conference, revealing the Trump administration has declared farmland owned by foreign nationals to be “a potential threat to national security and economic prosperity,” with the USDA now requiring full transparency from multinational companies through an online filing system for the agency to gather information about foreign owned land and its intended use.
According to the action plan, the USDA now seeks to limit the country’s reliance on foreign nations for its agricultural supply chain by stockpiling critical resources, including fertilizer and chemicals used for farming, and will simultaneously conduct a full review of imports, in order to “prevent the spread of dangerous biochemicals and biological agents from entering the country.”
The plan also promises new oversight for ongoing efforts by the USDA, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which the agency warned has been used to fund terrorist activities. Similarly, it announced as new safeguards to make sure the agency’s existing research grants are not providing resources to the nation’s adversaries.
It also promises to reevaluate the USDA’s current programs to evaluate whether they represent “America First Policies,” including the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), and BioPreferred programs, which the report states “have long been used by foreign adversaries to access research and development funding, while gaining foreign investment or control in pre revenue startups.”
USDA also said in the plan that it intends to create new procedures to help the agency combat invasive species, foreign animal diseases, and new pathogens that may emerge from imported livestock, and to coordinate with other federal agencies to protect farms from cybersecurity threats.
In addition to Lee, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders of neighboring Arkansas also attended the event, and told the press the National Farm Security Action Plan will “protect our food supply, our economy, and our freedom.”
Alluding to the recent requirement for a Chinese firm to divest from its holdings in Arkansas, the state’s governor said, “Arkansas led the nation in kicking Communist China off our farmland and out of our state because we understand that farm security is national security.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who lived in Tennessee until he accepted President Donald Trump’s offer to serve in his administration, added that ownership of farmland constitutes a national security concern for the Trump administration when it is located near military bases.
“Foreign ownership of land near strategic bases and US military installations poses a serious threat to our national security,” said Hegseth, adding that the action plan “will put America First and keep our bases across the homeland secure.”
Though seemingly unrelated, the action plan was unveiled following the release of the recent documentary which alleges criminal organizations from China are running illicit marijuana growing facilities throughout the country using dangerous chemicals. A member of Tennessee law enforcement recently said a similar operation was uncovered in Stewart County in late 2023.
The plan was also revealed amid the release of previously unreported documents which show the USDA sent thousands of viral samples to a laboratory in Wuhan, China, despite the lack of a formal agreement.
Watch the full press conference:
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
CHINA has been buying land on the Cumberland Plateau near & around McMinnville & Tullahoma for decades. When my husband & I were considering retired in that area, more than one realtor told us the Chinese were buying up the land.
Cannot wait for Lee the moderate (at best) to exit the governorship. Of course, we will get another millionaire who can buy the position.
This is all warm and fuzzy, but what is he doing about the TVA plant in Cheatham Co?