HR 7153
Agriculture and National Security Act of 2026
Take action
Record your position on this measure.
Sign in to record your position, submit testimony, or contact your legislator.
Sign in to take action- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To President
- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill, the Agriculture and National Security Act of 2026, aims to strengthen the connection between the Department of Agriculture and national security agencies. It directs the Secretary of Agriculture to prioritize national security concerns within the Department, establish a Senior Advisor for National Security, and facilitate information sharing with defense and security agencies. The bill also requires the Secretary to submit biennial reports to Congress and the National Security Council assessing national security vulnerabilities in the food and agriculture sector and recommending actions to address them.
Key provisions
- Designates a Senior Advisor for National Security within the Department of Agriculture.
- Authorizes the Secretary to detail personnel from defense and security agencies to the Department to improve information sharing.
- Requires the Secretary to assess gaps and limitations in national security efforts related to food and agriculture.
- Mandates biennial reports to Congress and the National Security Council on national security vulnerabilities.
- Directs the Secretary to consider a range of vulnerabilities including foreign influence, data control, intellectual property, and supply chain disruptions.
- Encourages interagency coordination to mitigate identified vulnerabilities.
- Authorizes the Secretary to increase staff with security clearances.
- Requires the Department to evaluate cybersecurity and artificial intelligence risks.
Who is affected
- Department of Agriculture
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Cosponsors
Arguments in favor
Reasons to support this legislation.
No arguments in favor have been submitted.
Submit yoursArguments opposed
Reasons to oppose this legislation.
No arguments opposed have been submitted.
Submit yoursRead the latest version inline or switch to a previous version.
119th CONGRESS — 2d Session
H. R. 7153
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To improve connections between the Department of Agriculture and national and homeland security agencies, and for other purposes.
This Act may be cited as the Agriculture and National Security Act of 2026
.
It is the sense of Congress that there are increasingly robust Federal activities to address homeland security vulnerabilities across the food and agriculture sector, including with regard to agriculture and food defense, critical infrastructure, emergency management, and catastrophic events, but additional efforts are needed to identify national security vulnerabilities related to food and agriculture, particularly with regard to emerging technologies.
In recognition that food and agriculture are critical to the national security of the United States, the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this Act as the Secretary
) shall prioritize national security in addition to homeland security in the Department of Agriculture (referred to in this Act as the Department
), including by increasing the number of staff at the Department with security clearances and access to classified systems and networks.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall—
establish within the Office of the Secretary the position of Senior Advisor for National Security (referred to in this Act as the Senior Advisor
); and
appoint an individual to the position of Senior Advisor.
The Senior Advisor shall, in coordination with and complementary to the duties of the Office of Homeland Security of the Department—
serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary on national security;
act as the primary liaison on behalf of the Department with the National Security Council and other Federal departments and agencies in activities relating to national security;
coordinate national security activities across the Department, including to ensure that national security concerns are integrated into the homeland security activities of the Department wherever appropriate; and
communicate with stakeholders to identify national security vulnerabilities and risk mitigation strategies relevant to food and agriculture.
Section 221(e) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6922(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
The Secretary may provide detailees to, and accept and employ personnel detailed from, defense, national and homeland security, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies, with or without reimbursement, to improve information sharing, vulnerability identification, and risk mitigation related to food and agriculture.
Section 221 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6922) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress and the National Security Council a report that includes—
from the perspective of the Department, an assessment of any gaps or limitations in national security efforts related to food and agriculture in the United States, including—
cybersecurity and artificial intelligence;
the actions taken by the Secretary to address any gaps or limitations identified under paragraph (1), including through interagency coordination, threat information sharing, and stakeholder outreach;
policy recommendations, including recommendations for executive actions and legislative proposals—
resources the Department requires to address current and future national security vulnerabilities related to food and agriculture.