Bribery

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said barring JBS from government contracts could hurt taxpayers because the company has so few competitors.

In her second letter, DeLauro pointed to a 2017 inspector general review of the USDA’s suspension and debarment process that recommended the agency “do more” to ensure ethical business relationships for the government.To date, DeLauro has not yet received a response from USDA. When JBS USA experienced a cyberattack in 2021 that shut down its processing plants, the dip in supply sent [shock waves](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/business/meat-plant-cyberattack-jbs.html) throughout the food supply chain. [four companies control](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/03/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-action-plan-for-a-fairer-more-competitive-and-more-resilient-meat-and-poultry-supply-chain/) the majority of beef, pork and poultry markets. subsidiaries, citing the company’s use of federal money and its continued acquisition of competitors. A spokesperson for JBS USA said the company was aware of Maloney’s letter, but not of anything that followed. USDA has also worked to “diversify” the sources from which it buys, he wrote. Vilsack pointed to “fragility in the market,” including high inflation. He said the review focused on whether the company’s performance as a government contractor put the taxpayers at risk. The company’s subsidiaries and contractors have had other problems. in 2020 to resolve charges of bribing Brazilian officials. Lawmakers have also complained about the foreign-owned company’s receipt of millions in pandemic bailout money. He was responding to