Food Security is National Security This week, I joined Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in introducing the Agricultural Foreign Investment Transparency Act to address the national security threat of foreign adversaries buying up U.S. agricultural land. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, foreign ownership and investment in U.S. agricultural land has nearly doubled over the last decade, and a number of high-profile Chinese acquisitions near Department of Defense and other federal installations indicate a need for greater transparency and oversight on these purchases.   This bill will update the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) of 1978, which was established to develop a nationwide system for collecting information on foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land. Doing so will increase reporting and transparency and combat malign influence of our foreign adversaries   The recent increase in Chinese purchases of U.S. farmland demonstrates the need for more proactive legislation and government transparency of these purchases. This legislation would shine a light on American agricultural land controlled by entities in communist China and elsewhere so we can evaluate the risk to our national security and implement an effective response. I’m pleased to join Rep. Stefanik in providing solutions to protect our food supply and those who produce it.

As we approach the three-year mark of the first case of COVID-19 in America, our economy has partially re-opened, but we are still experiencing hiccups. With the continued disruption of our supply chains, America must do all it can to move goods across borders into the homes of people in Arkansas and all across our country. The Biden Administration has kept a roadblock in place along our northern border, so I wrote to President Biden in October imploring him to lift COVID-19 mandates and follow Canada’s lead. President Biden has yet to respond or lift the mandate. If America continues with Draconian covid policies, our economy will continue to suffer and inflation will continue to rise. It is past time for President Biden to act.

S. 2796 - Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act - YEA Revises eligibility for rural community response pilot programs under the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program S. 4834 - PROTECT Our Children Act - YEA Reauthorizes the National Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program through 2024 H.R. 8404 - Disrespect For Marriage Act - NO Opens the door to target religious non-profit organizations S.1617 - Disaster Assistance for Rural Communities Act - YEA Authorizes the Small Business Administration (SBA) to declare a disaster in rural areas where there has been significant damage to provide assistance H. Res 1512 - FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act - YEA Authorizes a 4.6% pay raise for service members Does not include language requiring females to register for the Selective Service  Includes essential policy provisions to counter adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, while supporting allies and key partners, such as Israel and Taiwan H.R. 7946 – Giving Citizenship to Criminals Act - NO Gives DHS the authority to give lawful permanent resident status, even to those who were previously inadmissible

This week, my office helped facilitate a retroactive payment to a veteran totaling $134,236.87

Also this week, I traveled to Batesville to speak at the groundbreaking of the first phase in LifePlus's expansion project. The investment and creation of jobs will boost the economy in Independence County, and I am excited to see what the future holds for LifePlus and their impact in and beyond the First District.

Daily Caller EXCLUSIVE: Reps. Stefanik, Crawford Introduce Bill To Protect U.S. Agricultural Land From Foreign Adversaries Republican Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Rick Crawford of Arkansas introduced legislation Thursday that would address the “national security threat” of foreign adversaries buying up U.S. agricultural land.