Countering Foreign Malign Influence While Protecting Civil Liberties This week, I continued the House Intelligence Committee's “Beyond the SCIF” Series with the panel "Countering Foreign Malign Influence While Protecting Civil Liberties" at the Forge Institute’s 2022 Cyber Summit.    Panel Speakers: • Congressman Rick Crawford, senior member of the House Intelligence and Agriculture Committees • Matt Bunch, Tyson Foods Sr. Director Information Security & Cyber • Ed You, National Counterintelligence Officer for Emerging & Disruptive Technologies, National Counterintelligence and Security Center at ODNI   The panelists and I discussed how to protect U.S. agriculture from cyberattacks like what was recently seen with the JBS in May of 2021 and the government’s role in safeguarding our food supply from cyberthreats. We also discussed how threats are changing as agriculture production becomes more digital and the dangers it China’s growing influence in other nations creates for the U.S.   For generations, Americans have enjoyed a food supply chain that is dependable and abundant. Our producers provide food not just to the United States, but to the entire world, and like many industries, evolving technology allows for even further growth. But with new technology comes new vulnerabilities. Practices like precision agriculture and the increased use of satellite imagery for data collection, while good for production, create a new dependency on technology that leaves farmers more vulnerable to threats like cyberattacks.    This topic is a big priority of mine in Congress and I have introduced several pieces of legislation to protect our nation’s agriculture sector from foreign espionage. Most recently, I introduced the Promoting American Safety and Security (PASS) Act with Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY). The PASS Act would establish the Secretary of Agriculture as a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) and create a blacklist of countries restricted from carrying out any merger, acquisition, or takeover that could result in foreign control of a U.S. agricultural company. This would prevent adversarial nations like China from ever obtaining control of American agriculture companies.   Over the last few years, we’ve had many conversations about what is considered “critical infrastructure” and the importance of protecting industries and supply chains essential to keeping the American economy moving, even in times of crisis. Few things are as essential as our food supply and the agriculture infrastructure that makes it possible, and it is imperative that producers and agribusiness are equipped to handle any cyber, CI, or emerging tech threat that might arise. That’s why I’m grateful to the Forge Institute for hosting this important conversation and to the panelists for lending their experience and expertise.

No votes this week. The House will be in session on  November 14, 2022.

This week, I stopped by UAPB and SNARC's Aquaculture Field Day in Stuttgart to enjoy fried catfish, speak with farmers about issues they are facing, and answer questions about my work in D.C.

I also stopped by a reception to celebrate Christie Jordan, and I got to present her with a copy of the Congressional Record honoring her 25 years of service to the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas. The City of Jonesboro and the entire Northeast Arkansas region are blessed to have Christie in our community, which includes the thousands of families who have been directly touched by her work. I congratulated her on 25 years as the CEO of the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, and I am looking forward to seeing her impact on our community for the years and decades to come!

World Grain China's plan to build corn mill in U.S. draws scrutiny “There is no goodwill tied up in their presence in the US,” said Rick Crawford, US representative for Arkansas and member of the US House Agriculture and House Intelligence committees. “They are here for the advancement of their own interests and not for ours. Everything that China does, in the US in particular, but anywhere else, is done with an eye toward gaining a strategic advantage for themselves. A lot of times they cloak this in the idea that they’re doing this to improve economic conditions in a given country.”