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Federal lawmakers are demanding answers from the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) over its partnership with a Chinese Communist Party-controlled agribusiness and its push for DEI initiatives, citing national security concerns and questions about its tax-exempt status.
The inquiry is being led by the House Ways and Means Committee and the Congressional FFA Caucus, which say the organization’s relationship with Syngenta Group raises concerns about foreign influence and whether FFA is operating in line with its stated mission as a tax-exempt nonprofit.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith and Congressional FFA Caucus co-chair Tracey Mann sent a letter to National FFA CEO Scott Stump demanding documents and answers related to the partnership, Syngenta’s role in shaping internal policies and the organization’s compliance with federal tax law.
“Working with our nation’s foreign adversaries and prioritizing woke policies over your mission raises serious concerns regarding whether the National FFA is complying with the requirements to maintain tax-exempt status,” the lawmakers wrote.
Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., is demanding answers from the National FFA over its partnership with a CCP-linked agribusiness citing national security tax status and foreign influence concerns. (Tom Williams)
In the letter, the committee emphasized FFA’s role in educating future agricultural leaders, noting the organization serves more than one million students through thousands of chapters across the country.
The lawmakers devoted a significant portion of the letter to detailing Syngenta Group’s ownership structure and its ties to the Chinese government, arguing the relationship raises red flags for a U.S.-based, tax-exempt youth organization tied to agriculture.
Syngenta has been wholly owned since 2017 by China National Chemical Corp., or ChemChina, a Chinese state-owned enterprise that later merged into Sinochem Holdings.
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Lawmakers dedicated a significant portion of the letter to outlining the Syngenta Group’s ties to the Chinese government. (Li He/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Both ChemChina and Sinochem were designated during the first Trump administration as Communist Chinese military companies, a classification used to identify firms linked to Beijing’s military-civil fusion strategy and restrict their access to U.S. government funding.
Lawmakers noted that while those designations were removed in 2021 under the Biden administration, Syngenta was later redesignated as a Chinese military company, underscoring ongoing concerns about its ties to the Chinese state.
The letter also pointed to actions by U.S. states and federal agencies to limit Chinese ownership and influence in American agriculture. It included efforts to force Syngenta subsidiaries to divest farmland and initiatives aimed at preventing the sale of U.S. agricultural land to Chinese entities on national security grounds.
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Lawmakers also expressed concern over the influence a Chinese state-owned company could exert over future agricultural leadership. (Ken Ishii – Pool/Getty Images)
Against that backdrop, lawmakers said Syngenta’s access to FFA leadership, programming and students raises concerns about the influence a Chinese state-owned company could exert over future American agricultural leaders.
“The CCP has a well-documented history of economic espionage to steal biotechnology and agriculture-related intellectual property, and the fact that the National FFA has provided one of their state-owned companies direct access to the future leaders of America’s farming industry is alarming,” the letter states.
The lawmakers also criticized FFA’s embrace of DEI initiatives, arguing the programs risk shifting the organization away from agricultural education and toward identity-based priorities that could divide students.
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They questioned whether Syngenta’s role in DEI-related efforts gave the company undue influence over FFA’s strategic direction.
“The goal of the National FFA should be to bring student members together as a community — not force them into specific categories,” the lawmakers wrote.
Smith and Mann said the inquiry is part of broader congressional oversight of tax-exempt organizations and their exposure to foreign influence, particularly as farm and food security are increasingly viewed as matters of national security.
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House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith and Rep. Tracey Mann cited remarks by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins that “farm security is national security.” (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Smith and Mann cited a statement from USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins that “farm security is national security.”
Ultimately, the letter directs National FFA to turn over documents and provide detailed answers about its partnership with Syngenta Group, including contracts and financial contributions, the role Syngenta employees play in leadership or advisory positions, and the company’s involvement in shaping FFA’s diversity and strategic programs.
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, Smith said the committee is expanding its investigation to include the FFA over concerns about foreign influence and its impact on the organization’s mission.
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“The Ways and Means Committee is expanding our investigation into the malign foreign influence in the U.S. tax-exempt sector to include the FFA in light of deeply concerning reports that the organization has maintained ties to an entity controlled by the Chinese Communist Party — a relationship that appears to have influenced its decision-making,” Smith said. “The FFA plays a vital role in educating the next generation of farmers, strengthening American agriculture, and safeguarding our nation’s food supply and national security. That important mission must not be compromised.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the National FFA for comment on the matter.