The Protecting America Initiative, a group that says it focuses on countering Communist China's influence in the United States, launched a new TV and digital ad campaign with a six-figure buy, urging Congress to pass a new farm bill in 2026, arguing that lawmakers have not enacted one since 2018.
The 30-second spot, titled "Long Enough," is set to run in Washington, D.C., in the coming weeks, the group said.
In the transcript it posted, the ad says, "Congress must act and pass a new Farm Bill," and closes with: "Eight years is too long. Pass the Farm Bill now."
The Protecting America Initiative frames its farm bill push and broader advocacy around an argument that Communist China is a strategic threat to the U.S. food supply.
The initiative emphasizes policies it says would block China-linked purchases of agricultural land and reduce foreign influence in agriculture, while pairing that message with ads that praise President Trump's policies, such as tariffs and call for a new farm bill.
Independently, the USDA tracks foreign interests in U.S. agricultural land through AFIDA reporting.
The 2024 AFIDA report puts total foreign-held agricultural land at 46 million acres as of Dec. 31, 2024, with a section on land held and acquired by China and other designated foreign adversaries.
The last farm bill, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, became law on Dec. 20, 2018.
That law expired on Sept. 30, 2023, but Congress has extended it twice, including a one-year extension enacted on Dec. 21, 2024, to cover fiscal 2025 and the 2025 crop year through Sept. 30, 2025.
The Feb. 4 release followed a separate ad launch the group announced Jan. 28, when it said it began running another 30-second spot, "Deliver Relief," with a five-figure buy in the Pittsburgh and Johnstown, Pennsylvania, media markets.
The ad expresses gratitude to House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn "GT" Thompson and features the statement: "We need a new Farm Bill to put America First."
Thompson, a Republican representative from Pennsylvania, has chaired the House Agriculture Committee since Republicans gained control of the House in 2023.
He led House Agriculture Committee Republicans in drafting and advancing a House farm bill — the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 (H.R. 8467) — including the release of the committee draft and related materials in May 2024.
His committee’s 2025 reconciliation effort drew broader attention because it proposed changes to SNAP eligibility, work requirements, and other structural reforms.
In a report on the expiration and extensions of the current farm bill, the Congressional Research Service said the House Agriculture Committee reported a farm bill in May 2024, and the Senate Agriculture Committee chair introduced a separate bill in November 2024, but neither chamber took further action at the time.
Reuters contributed to this story.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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