Bill Summary
The American Agriculture First Act is a bill that proposes prioritizing the purchase of agricultural commodities from domestically owned enterprises in the United States. This means that when the government needs to purchase agricultural products in response to trade damage from a foreign nation, they must buy at least 75% of the total amount from domestic companies. This requirement can be waived if the Secretary of Agriculture determines that it is not feasible or would result in a significant increase in cost. The bill also requires the Secretary to report on the amount of agricultural products purchased every 90 days to Congress and ensures that the United States complies with World Trade Organization obligations. This legislation would expire in 2023.
Possible Impacts
1. The American Agriculture First Act could potentially limit the options for individuals or businesses who rely on agricultural commodities from foreign sources. This may result in higher prices or decreased availability of certain products for consumers.
2. Domestic agricultural producers may benefit from the prioritization of purchases from domestically owned enterprises, as they may see an increase in demand for their products.
3. The Act may also impact trade relations with foreign nations, as the prioritization of domestically owned enterprises may be seen as protectionist or discriminatory by other countries. This could potentially lead to trade disputes or retaliation from other nations.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3980 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3980
To prioritize the purchase of agricultural commodities from
domestically owned enterprises, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 17, 2020
Mrs. Loeffler introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prioritize the purchase of agricultural commodities from
domestically owned enterprises, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``American Agriculture First Act''.
SEC. 2. AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES PURCHASED FROM DOMESTICALLY OWNED
ENTERPRISES.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Agricultural commodity.--The term ``agricultural
commodity'' has the meaning given the term in section 102 of
the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602).
(2) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives;
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
of Representatives;
(C) the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of
Representatives;
(D) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
Forestry of the Senate;
(E) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate; and
(F) the Committee on Finance of the Senate.
(3) Domestically owned enterprise.--The term ``domestically
owned enterprise'' has the meaning given the term in section
773.2 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on
the date of enactment of this Act).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture.
(b) Prioritization.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), if
the Secretary determines that a response to trade damage from
retaliation by a foreign nation with respect to an agricultural
commodity is necessary, the Secretary, acting through the
Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, shall
purchase from domestically owned enterprises not less than 75
percent of the total quantity of that agricultural commodity
purchased under the Food Purchase and Distribution Program.
(2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the
purchase of an agricultural commodity made not less than 30
days after the date on which the Secretary submits to the
Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the
Senate a report that explains the reasons that meeting the
requirement under paragraph (1)--
(A) is not possible because the quantity of the
agricultural commodity available from domestically
owned enterprises cannot meet the supply needs of the
Agricultural Marketing Service; or
(B) would result in a greater than 150 percent
increase between--
(i) the amount necessary to purchase that
agricultural commodity; and
(ii) the average cost of that agricultural
commodity purchased by the Agricultural
Marketing Service in the prior 3 years.
(3) Publication of awards.--In publishing the awards made
to vendors under the purchase programs carried out by the
Agricultural Marketing Service, the Secretary shall include
whether the entity receiving such an award is a domestically
owned enterprise.
(4) WTO obligations.--The Secretary shall carry out this
section consistent with World Trade Organization obligations of
the United States.
(c) Report Required.--For each 90-day period during which the
Secretary purchases 1 or more agricultural commodities as described in
subsection (b), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report that includes the amount of each
agricultural commodity purchased during that period.
(d) Sunset.--The authority under this section shall expire on
September 30, 2023.
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