Congressional leaders are demanding answers from the National FFA Organization about its partnership with the Syngenta group. Federal lawmakers are concerned about the China-backed agribusiness, as well as the organization’s push for DEI initiatives.
The National FFA Organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The inquiry is being led by the House Ways and Means Committee and the Congressional FFA Caucus, which say the organization’s relationship with the Syngenta Group raises concerns about foreign influence and whether FFA is operating in line with its stated mission as a tax-exempt nonprofit.
Congressman Jason Smith (R-MO-08), who serves as Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee; along with Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ-01), Oversight Subcommittee Chairman; and Congressman Tracey Mann (R-KS-01), who serves as FFA Caucus co-chair, sent a letter to Scott Stump, CEO of the National FFA Organization, demanding documents and answers related to the partnership.
Chairmen Smith, Schweikert, and Representative Mann issued the following statement in their letter:
“From the international funding sources and activities of tax-exempt entities in the U.S., and the role of certain organizations in fostering antisemitism in American society, the Committee has engaged in continuous oversight ensuring all tax-exempt organizations are abiding by their exempt status and are avoiding actions that may erode, evade, or violate the purposes for which their tax-exempt status was granted. The National FFA is an organization that is dedicated to educating America’s youth in ‘leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.’ This mission is critical to the future of American farming, as over one million student members, across more than nine thousand state and local chapters in the United States, look to the National FFA for guidance. 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.
“Both the Committee and the FFA Caucus are working with the Trump Administration to prioritize both farm and food security within our national security infrastructure and ensure our future farmers—the ones that will be tasked with our nation’s food security—are best served by the organization federally chartered to educate them. As the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) Secretary Brooke Rollins stated in the USDA National Farm Security Action plan – ‘Farm security is national security,’”
The FFA is directed to provide information and documents to the Committee detailing ties between the Syngenta Group and the National FFA, and the company’s leadership of the FFA’s DEI policies by February 17.
Source: Office of House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, NAFB News Service