H.R.1995 - Securing American Agriculture Act (119th Congress)
Summary
H.R.1995, the "Securing American Agriculture Act," directs the Secretary of Agriculture to annually assess and report on the United States' dependency on critical agricultural products and inputs from the People's Republic of China. The assessment will identify vulnerabilities in the supply chain and recommend actions to reduce this dependency. The goal is to mitigate potential threats if China were to weaponize these dependencies.
Expected Effects
This bill aims to enhance U.S. agricultural security by identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in the supply chain related to China. It will likely lead to increased scrutiny of agricultural imports and potentially incentivize domestic production of critical inputs. The annual reports will inform policy decisions and resource allocation to reduce reliance on Chinese agricultural products.
Potential Benefits
- Enhanced national security by reducing reliance on a potential adversary for critical agricultural inputs.
- Increased transparency and awareness of vulnerabilities in the agricultural supply chain.
- Potential for growth in domestic agricultural production and related industries.
- Improved resilience of the U.S. agricultural sector to external shocks.
- Informed policy-making based on comprehensive annual assessments.
Potential Disadvantages
- Potential for increased costs for agricultural inputs if domestic production is more expensive than imports.
- Possible trade tensions with China if the U.S. reduces its reliance on Chinese products.
- The assessment relies on voluntary information from private entities, which may limit its accuracy.
- The definition of "critical agricultural inputs" is broad and could lead to an overly expansive assessment.
- Implementation may require significant resources from the Department of Agriculture.
Constitutional Alignment
The bill aligns with the Constitution's broad goals of providing for the common defense and promoting the general welfare, as stated in the Preamble. Congress has the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3), which implicitly includes the power to assess and mitigate dependencies on foreign nations for critical goods. The bill does not appear to infringe on any specific constitutional rights or limitations.
Impact Assessment: Things You Care About ⓘ
This action has been evaluated across 19 key areas that matter to you. Scores range from 1 (highly disadvantageous) to 5 (highly beneficial).