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Title 6, Domestic SecurityRelease 119-110

§321q Coordination of Department of Homeland Security Efforts Related to Food, Agriculture, and Veterinary Defense Against Terrorism

Title 6 › CHAPTER 1 — HOMELAND SECURITY ORGANIZATION › SUBCHAPTER V — NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT › § 321q

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of Homeland Security must run a program, through the Assistant Secretary for the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, to coordinate DHS actions that protect U.S. food, farms, and animal health from terrorism and other serious threats. The program must at least watch over DHS duties under Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9, manage and link work on veterinary public health, food defense, and agricultural security, lead policy on incidents and preparedness for agricultural terrorism, coordinate with DHS units like U.S. Customs and Border Protection and with other federal agencies, and do other tasks the Secretary needs. It must not change the powers of the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Full Legal Text

Title 6, §321q

Domestic Security, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Program required
The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, shall carry out a program to coordinate the Department’s efforts related to defending the food, agriculture, and veterinary systems of the United States against terrorism and other high-consequence events that pose a high risk to homeland security.
(b)Program elements
The coordination program required by subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(1)Providing oversight and management of the Department’s responsibilities pursuant to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9–Defense of United States Agriculture and Food.
(2)Providing oversight and integration of the Department’s activities related to veterinary public health, food defense, and agricultural security.
(3)Leading the Department’s policy initiatives relating to food, animal, and agricultural incidents, and the impact of such incidents on animal and public health.
(4)Leading the Department’s policy initiatives relating to overall domestic preparedness for and collective response to agricultural terrorism.
(5)Coordinating with other Department components, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as appropriate, on activities related to food and agriculture security and screening procedures for domestic and imported products.
(6)Coordinating with appropriate Federal departments and agencies.
(7)Other activities as determined necessary by the Secretary.
(c)Rule of construction
Nothing in this section may be construed as altering or superseding the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–387 substituted “the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office,” for “Health Affairs,”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

6 U.S.C. § 321q

Title 6, Domestic Security

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110