Trump Admin Cans Foreign Contractors On National Security Grounds

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Thursday night that her agency terminated more than 70 contractors and visiting scientists who are citizens of “countries of concern” after conducting an investigation.

Foreign nationals have exploited the American agriculture industry by stealing intellectual property and technology, as well as smuggling hazardous biological materials that could cause serious damage to the food supply, Rollins wrote in her Thursday night X post. Rollins did not specify which countries the contractors were from and noted that there is no active threat, but the move aligns with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Farm Security Action Plan to crack down on malign influence from foreign adversaries in the farm industry, which was announced Tuesday.

“For decades, foreign adversaries have exploited our open society by recruiting spies and operatives who steal our intellectual property, technology, and, in recent cases, smuggle dangerous biological materials that would threaten to destroy our food and supply chains,” Rollins wrote. “After a thorough investigation, USDA has terminated 70+ contractors and visiting scientists who have citizenship from countries of concern.”

The USDA has faced possible data breaches from foreign contractors before, as CNN reported on an investigation into a Russian contractor in June 2023. Notably, the Department of Justice (DOJ)