WATCH: Rep. Brad Finstad on the farm bill: ‘Food security is national security’
Washington Examiner Staff
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The farm bill expires on Sept. 30, and members of Congress are developing their drafts for its renewal as the government works to avoid a shutdown. The farm bill is passed roughly every five years, each getting a unique title. The current farm bill, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, was passed into law in December 2018.
Rep. Brad Finstad (R-MN) sat down with the Washington Examiner’s Sarah Bedford to discuss why the farm bill is so important not only to him but to national security.
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“As a real-life, everyday farmer serving in Congress, this is really important for me,” Finstad said. “I think the farm bill presents an opportunity for us to hammer home the fact that food security is national security.”
China’s purchase of American farmland is also a national security talking point in the farm bill.
“It’s my hope the farm bill will be a vehicle or a tool we can use to make sure we are keeping our country secure,” Finstad said. “Making sure we, from a competitive advantage or disadvantage, aren’t giving away the keys to the farm to folks that maybe don’t like us and could potentially use that from a national security standpoint.”
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Finstad said the farm bill allows farmers to continue to produce the healthiest, most affordable food in the world.
“Feeding our neighbors is something that’s very honorable and noble to us,” Finstad said. “The farm bill gives us a lot of tools to do that.”