Rep. Crawford focused on China in the Western Hemisphere in new Intelligence Committee role
by April 28, 2025 11:36 am 431 views
U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, contends the past few decades of focus on terrorist hot spots around the world like Afghanistan and Iraq have led to America doing far less in the Western Hemisphere to strengthen relationships with allies.
That has to change, he says.
“Every leader I talk to in our hemisphere, without exception, will tell me, ‘You’re our preferred partner,’ and then they’ll jump into an agreement with China. And here’s the simple reason why: We’re not giving them alternatives; we’re not giving them options… We have to change that,” Crawford said in an interview conducted Friday (April 25).
Crawford serves as the chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence. He is also active on the House Agriculture and House Transportation committees.
The Intelligence Committee is a dominating role, Crawford says. It warrants a lot of additional work and though he didn’t seek the chairmanship, he has found it rewarding and important.
Other highlights of Crawford’s interview, which is part of Talk Business & Politics’ newly expanded coverage of D.C. politics, include:
- His role as chairman and how he’s approaching the work;
- The threat of China and Russia in the Western Hemisphere and around the globe;
- Tariffs and other strategies to curtail Chinese influence;
- The long game that he believes President Donald Trump is efforting with tariffs;
- An idea he has to create a tax break for farmers to help during difficult times.
Despite the obvious necessity of moving a Farm Bill forward to provide relief to American agricultural producers, Crawford said the legislation gets bogged down in partisan political debates as well as geographic differences.
“Farm bills are political in nature, but they’re also geographic in nature. And that is to say we have disparity from Southern agriculture versus Midwestern and Northern agriculture. Western states have a little different perspective as well. Then, the biggest problem that we have is the urban versus rural dynamic,” said Crawford.
“But, we’re going to get a Farm Bill to the floor in this Congress,” he added.