Since first taking office in 2017, President Trump has led the charge to protect American manufacturers against China’s unfair economic practices. China, however, has continued to break international trade laws in order to undercut American companies. One of the most persistent attacks against America comes in the form of Chinese product dumping in our domestic markets. 

This week, Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) brought renewed attention to the risk to American patients posed by Chinese-made medical devices when he authored a letter to the Acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting an “enhanced review of medical devices manufactured in Communist China to address potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities.”

As China continues growing its influence in the automotive industry, the U.S. faces new vulnerabilities and security threats from vehicles with connectivity software developed overseas.

Voters around the country might be surprised to hear that 280 Members of the House of Representatives just voted for a policy that would give China the upper hand over American farmers. Unfortunately, that’s just what happened last week during the floor debate on the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, better known as the “Farm Bill.”

Last Thursday, the Senate passed H.J. Res. 140, a resolution of disapproval on a Biden-era ban on mining in Minnesota. The resolution had previously passed the House in January and now goes to President Trump for his signature.

President Trump recently announced an upcoming trip to China from May 14 - 15. During this economic summit, the President will have the unique opportunity to address illicit Chinese trade practices. One issue that should be at the top of his list is stopping illegal Chinese “dumping” that is threatening to destroy critical U.S. industries.

The Kentucky House and Senate recently passed legislation to protect key supply chains for American farmers and reduce our dependence on China. Governor Andy Beshear (D) vetoed the bill this week in an effort to appease environmentalists like the Sierra Club. 

One of the most important determinants of national security for the United States today is continuing access to critical minerals, which are resources that are key components in the manufacturing of products like advanced electronics and defense technology. Because the supply chain of critical minerals is especially vulnerable to disruption and they serve essential functions in the nation’s economic and security interests, any threat to their supply can have devastating effects on the U.S.  

Since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, there has understandably been significant focus on Iran's attempts to stop the flow of oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Another major concern for Americans is the threat of a fertilizer shortage that could devastate our farmers just as the growing season begins. 

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using compromised technology to infiltrate American healthcare and steal sensitive patient data. Fortunately, the Trump Administration has taken aggressive action to stop the weaponization of our supply chains. Now, leaders in Texas are stepping up to ensure that business as usual with Beijing doesn't come at the cost of patient safety or national security.

This week, the House Agriculture Committee voted 34-17 to advance the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, also known as the Farm Bill 2.0. Seven Democrats joined with Republicans to move the bill forward. 

We know for a fact that China’s communist government in Beijing is trying to manipulate and influence America’s domestic food production and steal from U.S. consumers. Fortunately, President Trump took action this week to secure and protect America’s food supply. Meanwhile, states like Florida are stepping up to prevent foreign attacks. 

American farm policy is national security policy. Now more than ever, the U.S. needs a thriving agricultural base to feed our citizens without depending on other countries. Exports of American farm products are also key to helping stop the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) around the world. 

The Protecting America Initiative (PAI) has pointed out many times that food security is national security. Without proactive policies in place to secure America’s food supply chain, our country will always be vulnerable to foreign threats. That is why PAI is calling on both parties in Congress to act without delay to pass a new “Farm Bill” in Congress. 

On December 30, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced movement on a key plank of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Farm Security Action Plan, which was unveiled earlier last year as a multi-agency effort to protect American agriculture, a critical part of maintaining national security.

It has been almost two years since the U.S. passed updated agency budgets. The current spending plans used by the Departments of State and Defense were drafted in 2023. During that period of time, China’s centralized government has been able to make dramatic changes to its pursuit of world dominance. 

As the Protecting America Initiative has argued before, when individual states impose a patchwork of laws that force agricultural suppliers to meet requirements that contradict federal standards, they undermine farmers and agricultural manufacturers, leaving them vulnerable to competitors from adversarial nations like China. The disruption caused by these extreme state laws undermine a robust domestic food supply and ultimately our national security. 

On his recently concluded trip through Asia, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met with counterparts in Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea about the mounting threat from China and to “ensure that China understands that we have a credible deterrent.” During the trip, while on his way to a meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense ministers, the Secretary emphasized that China will remain a key focus of the upcoming National Defense Strategy. 2022’s National Defense Strategy had warned that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “is rapidly advancing and integrating its space, counterspace, cyber, electronic, and informational warfare capabilities to support its holistic approach to joint warfare.”  

The Protecting America Initiative has outlined dozens of ways that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Beijing seeks to influence and shape life in the United States. The common feature of these efforts is increasing the CCP’s power in the U.S. and around the world.  

In today’s international order, America’s economic independence and national security are only as strong as our control over the materials that power them. From smartphones to fighter jets, the United States depends on an increasingly fragile global supply chain for the critical minerals that increasingly shape both our economic and political future. These materials are no longer just components of our economy. Rather, they are the backbone of our defense systems, energy infrastructure, and microchips that facilitate our domestic innovation. Today, however, the CCP controls the vast majority of its global production and processing.