Government to map food-supply cybersecurity gaps, run annual crisis drills

What it does

This bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to assess cybersecurity threats to farms, food processors, and food distribution networks every two years, and to conduct annual emergency-response simulation exercises involving federal, state, and private-sector partners. The bill authorizes $1 million per year for five years to fund these assessments and exercises, with findings reported to Congress.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to establish systematic government assessment and cross-sector coordination to identify and address cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the food supply chain. It is a preparedness and information-gathering measure, not a regulatory mandate or industry carve-out.

What the text implies

• The bill's reference to 'intrusive, duplicative, or conflicting regulatory requirements' in section 3(a)(6) may signal intent to identify and recommend streamlining of existing food-safety or cybersecurity regulations—a potential deregulatory signal, though the bill itself imposes no new rules.
• Annual simulation exercises may reveal operational gaps in federal coordination that could drive future legislative or administrative action; the bill does not pre-commit to any such action.
• Private-sector participation is voluntary, but repeated exercises and information-sharing may create de facto industry standards or expectations that smaller producers find difficult to meet without formal compliance requirements.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Citizens depend on food supply security and resilience. The bill creates systematic government assessment of vulnerabilities and cross-sector coordination to prevent or mitigate food-supply disruptions from cyberattacks, with no new compliance burdens imposed on private entities—only voluntary participation in information-sharing and exercises. Public health and national security are strengthened.

Who stands to gain

• cybersecurity consulting and assessment firms
• food-industry trade associations and sector-specific ISAC
• federal contractors conducting simulation exercises

Named in the bill

Secretary of Agriculture, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Director of National Intelligence, Food and Agriculture-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FA-ISAC), Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, House Committee on Agriculture, House Committee on Homeland Security, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Where it stands

9 cosponsors: 7 Republicans, 2 Democrats.

• Feb 26, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Feb 26, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

4 lobbying clients named this bill on 4 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $18,250,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 26 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 72% of bills with at least one filing.

Tom Cotton, the sponsor, reported $1,292,206 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle. $8,000 of that came from 1 PAC tied to these lobbying clients.

• Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. — $17,960,000 on 1 filing
• With Honor Action, Inc. — $140,000 on 1 filing
• Emerson — $120,000 on 1 filing
• Charter Communications Operating, LLC — $30,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.