09/11/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/11/2024 09:59
AJN : "Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro… Took thousands in donations from a Chinese company that owns American farmland."
New reporting exposes Marc Molinaro for continuing to be a pay-to-play politician. Molinaro took a campaign contribution from a PAC associated with the subsidiary of a Chinese agriculture firm - that has deep ties to the Chinese military - amid national security concerns.
Weeks later, the NDAA Conference Committee, which Molinaro served on, removed provisions to increase oversight of foreign land ownership in places like Upstate New York - an issue that Syngenta actively lobbied on.
The reporting also highlights Molinaro's votes to cut funding for agencies that provide oversight over foreign farmland buys, including one that has sued Syngenta for allegedly inflating its prices at the cost of farmers and consumers.
DCCC Spokesperson Ellie Dougherty:
"Considering Marc Molinaro spent decades never having a job outside of politics, it's no wonder he continued to be a typical pay-to-play politician the moment he got to Congress. Upstate New Yorkers will reject Molinaro's corruption and utter disregard for their priorities in November."
American Journal News: Rep. Molinaro took donation from China-owned farm corp amid national security concerns
Jesse Valentine | September 10, 2024
KEY POINTS:
Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro… Took thousands in donations from a Chinese company that owns American farmland.
In November 2023… Molinaro's campaign accepted a $2,500 donation from Syngenta, a global agriculture technology company based in Switzerland. In 2017, Syngenta was acquired by the state-owned China National Chemical Corporation, also known as ChemChina.
Syngenta reportedly owns more than 1,000 acres of American farmland.
Despite proposing increased funding for CFIUS to monitor foreign-owned farmland, Molinaro voted repeatedly to cut funding for agencies that provide similar oversight.
In September 2023, Molinaro backed a continuing resolution that called for stripping $100 million from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). A year earlier, the FTC sued Syngenta for artificially inflating costs. The case is still ongoing. The continuing resolution did not pass.
The continuing resolution also would have slashed resources for the FBI, which is actively investigating attempts by the Chinese government to disrupt the U.S. agricultural industry.