Agriculture and National Security Act of 2024

HR 8522 establishes a new Senior Advisor for National Security within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to integrate national security concerns into the department's work. The bill requires the USDA to submit biennial reports to Congress and the National Security Council assessing vulnerabilities in food and agriculture, including foreign ownership of farmland, control of agricultural data, cybersecurity risks, and supply chain dependencies. It mandates the USDA to coordinate with defense and intelligence agencies, increase security-clearanced staff, and identify gaps in protecting the food system from threats. The law directly affects USDA operations and aims to strengthen national security planning for the agricultural sector.