On June 4, FBI Director Kash Patel reported the arrest of a Chinese national who was allegedly caught smuggling a dangerous, potential biological weapon into the United States.

According to the report, the Chinese national — Yunqing Jian — was traveling with samples of fusarium graminearum. This fungus can cause “head blight” in wheat, corn, and other grains, as well as causing health problems in humans and livestock. It should be of little surprise that both Jian and her accomplice, Zunyoug Liu, have ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

This is yet another attempt by the CCP to infiltrate our country, threaten our agricultural dominance, and undermine our national security. In previous attempts to diminish our strength on the world stage, the Chinese Communist Party has deployed spy balloons in our sovereign airspace to surveil our military bases, unleashed the COVID-19 virus on the world, and continuously flouted international security norms. China has even set its sights on rural America and our most vital, yet finite resource — our farmland.

In Congress, I’m working to support President Trump’s mission to take a stand against Chinese aggression. In 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives passed my amendment to the Lower Energy Costs Act — which would ban China from buying American farmland suitable for homegrown energy production — by a vote of 407 to 26.

In March of this year, I introduced the Foreign Agricultural Restrictions to Maintain Local Agriculture and National Defense (FARMLAND) Act, which would authorize the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review all purchases or leases of American farmland by foreign entities that exceed $5,000,000 or 320 acres. It also develops new oversight measures for foreign farmland purchases, bolsters the USDA’s ability to report the threats of foreign acquisition of American farmland, and closes security gaps that allow foreign adversaries to evade disclosing farmland purchases. Denying the CCP access to our resources is vital to our farm security.

China doesn’t play by the rules — never has and never will. They have even manipulated their currency to artificially lower the price of the goods that they manufacture and distort international trade. Currency manipulation particularly impacts Iowa farmers, their wallets, and their ability to freely sell their high-quality products all over the world. With President Trump’s trade strategy and my work to ban China from buying our farmland, we are taking a strong stand against China and its illegal tactics.

This latest antagonistic act from China is unacceptable and must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. As more information is provided, I remain grateful that President Trump is working tirelessly to protect our farmers, producers, and agricultural economy from foreign threats.

U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, represents Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District.