Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) has been caught taking donations from Chinese conglomerates that own U.S. farmland.

Tester has repeatedly decried the sale of farmland to foreign adversaries as it is a growing problem. Chinese entities have bought up American farmland by the thousands of acres and that represents a threat to our food security.

However, Tester only seems to be paying lip service to the idea of our enemies controlling our land and food supply.

Tester has taken money from Syngenta’s PAC, which is a Chinese state-owned agriculture company, and Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods who both own the better part of 200,000 acres of American farmland.

Tester is yet another reason why Americans cannot trust what most politicians say. They will publicly oppose something while taking money from the same people they are supposed to be opposing.

Chinese takeover

Early this month, Tester launched a TV ad in which he claimed, "Let me be clear, China is the greatest threat facing our nation. They’ve been undercutting American jobs for generations. Their fentanyl is wreaking havoc on Montana’s communities. They’ve even flown spy balloons across their state. So when I found out that Chinese corporations were buying American farmland, I went to work with my Republican colleagues and said, ‘not on my watch.’ Whatever it takes, I’ll defend Montana and I’ll keep our nation safe."

Well it appears that Tester isn't doing whatever it takes as he took $3,500 in campaign contributions from Syngenta in 2018 after it was purchased by chemical company ChemChina the year before.

A registered lobbyist for Syngenta also gave $250 to Tester's campaign in the same period.

Saswato Das, spokesperson for Syngenta, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that "Syngenta’s PAC is a 100% employee-funded organization that allows its American employees — Americans working for American agriculture — to proudly support legislators who support American farmers."

While Senator Tester may have a good cover story for why he has connections to these agricultural organizations, the fact that these companies are owned by the Chinese Communist Party cannot be ignored.

Food security

Food security is an issue that the average American doesn't often think about but as China continues to become more belligerent, securing our food supply is paramount.

Furthermore, the USDA doesn't have a good system for tracking foreign ownership which means that the problem could be much worse than the numbers portray.

Tester is setting himself up as an opponent of China because he is running for reelection in deep red Montana, which has voted for former President Donald Trump in the past two presidential elections.

The people of Montana need to hold Tester to a strict standard and demand absolute transparency and honesty. So far, he's failing that test and voters should seriously consider alternatives who will stop China from buying farmland and won't take money from Chinese companies.