Tonight's Sky 8-30-26

As President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans publicly move to restrict Chinese access to American farmland, Smithfield has assembled a Washington influence operation stocked with former Republican congressional aides, agriculture policy insiders, and revolving-door lobbyists.

Among them are former aides to Republican Sens. John Warner and Susan Collins, a former House Republican Conference official, and a former U.S. Department of Agriculture official. And federal lobbying filings show they have been working directly on “foreign farmland ownership restrictions.”

THE CHINA FARMLAND LOBBY--Smithfield paid Holland & Knight $270,000 during the second quarter of 2025 and paid them another $270,000 for a portfolio of lobbying issues that specifically included “issues related to foreign ownership of agricultural land.”

The lobbying campaign comes as Republican officials are describing Chinese access to American farmland as a national-security emergency. [Natalie Winters]

Good Night, Patriots!