[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 132 (Thursday, July 31, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5114-S5115]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 3362. Mr. RICKETTS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle F of title X, add the following:
SEC. 1067. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS OR INPUTS ASSESSMENT.
(a) In General.--On an annual basis, the Secretary of
Agriculture (referred to in this section as the
``Secretary'') shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on
Agriculture of the House of Representatives an assessment of
the dependency of the United States on agricultural products
or inputs that could be exploited in the event the People's
Republic of China weaponizes any such dependency.
(b) Contents.--Each report under subsection (a) shall--
(1) address, with respect to the inputs described in
subsection (c)--
(A) the current domestic production capacity of each input;
and
(B) the current and potential bottlenecks in the supply
chain for each input that could be exploited by the People's
Republic of China; and
(2) contain recommendations of the Secretary, in
consultation with the heads of other Federal agencies, as
appropriate, to reduce the dependency of the United States on
the People's Republic of China to supply agricultural
products or inputs, including recommendations--
[[Page S5115]]
(A) to mitigate potential threats posed by the People's
Republic of China to the supply chains of each input
described in subsection (c);
(B) for legislative and regulatory actions to reduce
barriers to onshore or nearshore production of each such
input;
(C) for potential needs in United States public research
investment in key agricultural sectors to maintain United
States global leadership; and
(D) for potential needs in United States agricultural
infrastructure to maintain United States global leadership in
producing, processing, and exporting agricultural goods.
(c) Description of Inputs.--The inputs referred to in
subsection (b) include all farm management, agronomic, and
field-applied production inputs, including each of the
following:
(1) Agricultural equipment, machinery, and technology.
(2) Fuel.
(3) Fertilizers.
(4) Feed, including its components, such as vitamins, amino
acids, and minerals.
(5) Veterinary drugs and vaccines.
(6) Crop protection chemicals.
(7) Seed.
(8) Any other agricultural inputs, as determined by the
Secretary.
(d) Collection, Distribution, and Protection of
Information.--
(1) Voluntary basis.--In conducting an assessment under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall not require any private
entity to provide information to the Secretary.
(2) Aggregate data.--In the case of information provided to
the Secretary to conduct an assessment under subsection (a),
the Secretary, any other officer or employee of the
Department of Agriculture or agency thereof, or any other
person shall not--
(A) use that information for a purpose other than the
development or reporting of aggregate data in a manner such
that the identity of the person that supplied the information
is not--
(i) discernible; or
(ii) material to the intended uses of the information; or
(B) disclose that information to the public, unless the
information has been transformed into a statistical or
aggregate form that does not allow the identification of the
person that supplied particular information.
(3) Confidentiality.--The Secretary shall ensure that the
assessments under subsection (a) do not include any
information that is a trade secret or confidential
information subject to--
(A) section 552(b)(4) of title 5, United States Code; or
(B) section 1905 of title 18, United States Code.
(4) Immunity from disclosure.--Information provided to the
Secretary as part of an assessment conducted under subsection
(a) shall not be used by the Secretary for any purpose other
than to carry out that subsection.
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