Victoria Spartz

Spartz Audit Provision for Section 702 FISA Collections Passes House

Position: Congresswoman Spartz supported the House passage of Section 702 FISA reauthorization and advocated for inclusion of an audit provision to increase congressional oversight of NSA and FBI targeting and collection practices under this authority.

Washington, DC – This week, the House passed a reauthorization of Sec. 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), including language worked on by Congresswoman Spartz to audit 702 collections and targeting by the NSA and FBI for the first time. “Protecting constitutional rights of Americans, including Fourth Amendment rights, is a primary responsibility of Congress,” Spartz said. “We know that in previous years, agencies were improperly collecting information on Americans using ‘about’ targeting, but no true audits were ever performed of Section 702 targeting. This new audit will, for the first time, help Congress better oversee how agencies target and collect.” Section 702 of FISA was enacted in 2008 in response to 9/11 and allows the targeting and collection of data on non-U.S. persons located outside the United States without a warrant. Many widespread violations have been identified by the FISA Court, and significant controversy remains over the potential collection of large amounts of data on U.S. persons through this authority. See full text here (Sec. 7).

Spartz Checkoff Transparency Amendment Passes House

Position: Rep. Spartz advocates for increased transparency and accountability in federal commodity checkoff programs by requiring the USDA to publicly disclose financial information and audit reports from checkoff boards.

Washington, DC –Today, Congresswoman Victoria Spartz’s amendment to increase transparency for commodity checkoff boards passed the House and will be included in the Farm Bill. Checkoffs are taxes on farmers mandated by Congress and have been known to be abused by some boards to pay lavish salaries to executives or lobby for Big Ag against small farmers instead of helping them,” said Rep. Spartz. “Hardworking farmers deserve transparency and accountability to know how their hard-earned money is spent.” This amendment requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to publicly post key financial information for checkoff boards, including audit reports for the previous five years, updated annually. The checkoff is a mandatory fee that many U.S. farmers pay every time they sell any of 22 major commodities for research and promotion purposes. Checkoff programs were originally voluntary where farmers could check off a box to pay into the shared fund, but eventually Congress made these fees mandatory. These programs collect roughly $1B annually and have been involved in a number of abuse and corruption scandals over the years. Read the full amendment text HERE.

Spartz Amendment to Make Farming and Food More Affordable Passes House

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Spartz’s amendment to exempt large farm tractors, combines, and sprayers from unreasonable EPA emissions standards, such as DEF, passed the House on a bipartisan basis and was included in the final passage of the Farm Bill. “I appreciate my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who stood with American farmers and consumers to pass this common-sense amendment,” said Rep. Spartz. “While I’m disappointed that some chose to side with large corporate interests over the hardworking families who feed our country, this is a meaningful win for farmers and consumers.” Under one-size-fits-all EPA regulations, farm diesel engines were swept into burdensome emissions standards, adding unreasonable costs to farmers, causing damaging delays, creating fire hazards, and leading to higher prices at grocery stores. Farm machinery and input costs have surged by 30% to 100% in just the last five years, pushing food prices higher and putting family farms on the brink of widespread bankruptcies. Watch the floor debate HERE and read the full text of the amendment HERE.

Spartz: This Week’s Vote Will Show Who Stands for Affordability

Position: Rep. Spartz supports an amendment to exempt large farm tractors, combines, and sprayers from EPA emissions standards, arguing that current regulations impose unreasonable costs on farmers and contribute to higher food prices.

Washington, DC – Last night, Rep. Spartz’s amendment to exempt large farm tractors, combines, and sprayers from unreasonable emissions standards, consistent with military equipment, was made in order by the Rules Committee. It will receive a floor vote this week. Under one-size-fits-all EPA regulations, farm diesel engines were swept into burdensome emission standards, adding unreasonable costs to farmers, causing damaging delays, creating fire hazards, and leading to higher prices at grocery stores. Farm machinery and input costs have surged from 30% to 100% just in the last five years, pushing food prices higher and putting family farms on the brink of widespread bankruptcies. “Food security is national security,” said Rep. Spartz. “Congress cannot continue failing American farmers and consumers. This week’s vote will show who truly stands for affordability and American families.” Rep. Spartz’s amendment is endorsed by the Indiana Farm Bureau. “Indiana Farm Bureau supports Rep. Victoria Spartz (IN-05) on her amendment #49 to the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. Amid continued tight margins, this amendment would make it easier and more affordable to operate and maintain the equipment essential to producing the food, fuel, and fiber our country depends on.” Find the amendment text HERE and Rep. Spartz’s testimony HERE. Image