USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on Tuesday morning the launch of a new seven-point “National Farm Security Action Plan” aimed at cracking down on Chinese purchases of American farmland, describing the new policies as a form of “stewardship and conservation of our American farmlands.”
“The plain reality is that American agriculture in American hands is a positive good, a rich blessing…every family, every home, every community depends upon what our farmers do, and they support and sustain us,” Rollins said during a press conference in Washington, D.C.
She decried the purchase of American farmland by Chinese communists and foreign adversaries whose intentions are unclear.
“We are taking this purpose and our American farmland back,” she said.
The seven-point plan appears to focus on several major areas, based on Rollins’ comments:
- Banning the purchase of American farmland by the Chinese or other foreign entities, and clawing back farmland that has already been purchased,
- Fortifying domestic supply chains and improving security surrounding American agricultural practices and technology,
- Protecting critical agricultural infrastructure,
- Implementing America First policies throughout every level of the USDA,
- Protecting and researching animal health and studying disease.
“American agriculture is not just about feeding our families but about protecting our nation and standing up to foreign adversaries,” Rollins noted.
Secretary Rollins was joined by several members of President Trump’s cabinet, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Hegseth pointed out, “It’s about America First, but it’s also just the application of common sense. As someone who’s charged with leading the Defense Department, I want to know who owns the land around our bases, and strategic bases, and getting an understanding of why foreign entities, foreign companies, foreign individuals might be buying up land around those bases.”
He explained that food security in America was “national security,” and again reiterated that this action was “common sense.”
“We would be asleep at the wheel if we were not fully a party to an effort like this to ensure that our nation had the food supply it needs, but specifically, our troops have what they need on our bases in those moments,” Hegseth added, discussing a hypothetical contingency.
