Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I would note, as I conclude with my comments and yield back also, there have been many occasions when the good lady, the ranking member of the full committee, and I have battled over issues, and there have been occasions when we have been in the same trenches, fighting in the same direction on policy. I would say that she is always a very worthwhile adversary and just a pretty viciously effective ally on those rare occasions, but today, we disagree. We disagree. I believe Americans have long recognized that a resilient food supply is essential to national security, which is why the rise of foreign investments in our Nation's farmlands deserves increased scrutiny. We have seen our geopolitical adversaries, China in particular, are eager to exploit vulnerabilities in critical supply chains. Investment from China poses a unique risk to the American economy, and the Chinese Communist Party exercises immense control and influence over Chinese- owned companies operating abroad. This bill recognizes that a national security framework that excludes agriculture is incomplete. In my own State of Oklahoma, foreign land ownership has been against the law for decades and decades, but my State officials tell me that with the web of LLCs and trusts and a variety of other legal mechanisms, they have a difficult time in enforcing that. This piece of legislation today is one of many pieces of the puzzle to bring this to a focus.…”