Following Call by Stabenow, USDA to Join Treasury Department Panel Reviewing ChemChina’s Proposed Acquisition of Syngenta

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today applauded news – first reported by Reuters on Tuesday citing several sources familiar with the matter – that the United States Department of Agriculture will join the U.S. Treasury Department’s panel reviewing China National Chemical Corporation’s (ChemChina) proposed acquisition of Syngenta. 

“Based on reports in Reuters and other news outlets, I understand that the United States Department of Agriculture will now have an important seat at the table to review this acquisition,” Stabenow said. “That’s great news for our farmers and families who are looking for certainty that the acquisition does not have national security implications or impact our food system.  That is why I – alongside a bipartisan group of Senators on the Senate Agriculture Committee – originally called for USDA to join this process and I will remain vigilant throughout this process.” 

In April, Stabenow led a letter to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew alongside U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) – members of the Senate Agriculture Committee – calling on the U.S. Department of the Treasury to review China National Chemical Corporation’s (ChemChina) proposed acquisition of Syngenta for any potential effects on U.S. national security and the American food system, with a specific focus on food security and the safety of our food system. A copy of that letter can be found: here.