POLISCOPE
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FEDERALhearing transcript

Hearing on American Agriculture and National Security

Original title: AMERICAN AGRICULTURE AND OUR NATIONAL SECURITY

January 1, 2016

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing establishes the legislative framework for viewing food production as a critical component of national defense, which influences future federal funding and regulatory priorities for farmers and food safety agencies.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Farmers and Ranchers

Their production methods and regulatory environment are subject to policies discussed by the committee regarding national security.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

The agency is responsible for implementing the policies and biosecurity measures discussed in the hearing.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2016.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing to discuss the intersection of agricultural production and national security. The committee examined how food availability, , and agricultural policy contribute to the stability and defense of the United States.

Why It Matters

This hearing establishes the legislative framework for viewing food production as a critical component of national defense, which influences future federal funding and regulatory priorities for farmers and food safety agencies.

Key Facts

  • The hearing took place on November 4, 2015, in the Longworth House Office Building.
  • The committee explored the link between food supply chain stability and national security.
  • Key areas of focus included nutritional needs, biosecurity (pest and disease prevention), and the economic role of the agricultural industry.
  • The U.S. food and agriculture industry is noted as being almost entirely under private ownership.
  • The industry is composed of an estimated 2.1 million farms in the United States.
  • The hearing included testimony from former Ambassador John D. Negroponte and Dr. Tammy R. Beckham.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Agriculture Committee discussing national security?
The committee argues that food security is a fundamental component of national security, as the military and the nation rely on a stable, disease-free food supply to function.
What specific threats to agriculture were mentioned?
The hearing focused on vulnerabilities such as food-borne diseases, pests, and the need for policy tools to ensure farmers can continue producing food and fiber.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Lobbying Activity

AARP

$4,110,000

2026

HEALTH ISSUESMEDICARE/MEDICAIDLAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIME/CRIMINAL JUSTICEPHARMACY

P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology

MONUMENT ADVOCACY

on behalf of FEDERAL AGRICULTURAL MORTGAGE CORPORATION

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Agriculture as National Security

The committee explicitly framed agricultural policy as a subset of national security, moving beyond traditional economic or trade-based justifications.

Connected Entities

personTammy R. BeckhamDean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University and witnesMap →
organizationHouse Committee on AgricultureCongressional committee conducting the hearingMap →
personJohn D. NegroponteFormer Ambassador and witnessMap →
personKika de la GarzaFormer Chairman of the Committee on AgricultureMap →
personK. Michael ConawayChairman of the House Committee on AgricultureMap →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance60
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy10
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz10
    Current news / social attention level

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