Cotton, colleagues introduce legislation to ban Chinese seafood imports into the U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today introduced the Ban China’s Forbidden Operations in the Oceanic Domain (C-FOOD) Act, legislation that would ban U.S. imports of Chinese seafood and aquaculture products. The bill would also sanction companies that import Chinese seafood and place tariffs on countries that facilitate the shipment of the seafood.

Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) and Rick Scott (R-Florida) are co-sponsors of the legislation.

“Fishing and Aquaculture is yet another industry the Chinese Communist Party is weaponizing for their own gain through blatant abuse and slave labor. This legislation will stop imports of this illicit seafood by imposing real costs on the Chinese government and the companies that aid them,” said Senator Cotton.

“It’s past time we hold China accountable for its persistent violation of sovereign waters and its shameless use of slave labor to dominate the aquaculture market with unsafe, chemical-ridden products. These unfair and unethical practices have disadvantaged Mississippi catfish and shrimp producers for far too long, which is why I support this bill to ban U.S. imports of such tainted products until China changes its ways,” said Senator Hyde-Smith.

“Communist China, under Xi’s murderous regime, is on a quest for global domination, building economic power in industries like seafood and aquaculture that are known to use slave labor and other illegal, unreported, and unregulated practices that are pushing

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American businesses out of business in the process. I’m proud to join my colleagues on this legislation to ban the importation of these goods from Communist China and hold any nation attempting to circumvent U.S. trade laws fully accountable,” said Senator Scott.

The Ban C-FOOD Act would:

• One year after enactment of this bill, all Chinese seafood and aquaculture imports shall be prohibited from entering the United States, until such time as 1.) the Secretary of State reports to Congress that neither its fleets nor its aquaculture industry are meaningfully using forced labor and 2.) the Secretary of Commerce reports to Congress that the Chinese government is not subsidizing its fishing fleets beyond international norms and 3.) the Secretary of Defense determines that the Chinese fishing fleet would not be used in an invasion of Taiwan.

• Instruct Secretary of Treasury to sanction those companies that are found knowingly participating in the transshipment of Chinese seafood and aquaculture products into the United States.

• Instruct the U.S. Trade Representative to apply those duties it deems necessary to prevent and punish nations that accommodate the transshipment of Chinese seafood into the United States.

Within 90 days, the president shall produce a report detailing all executive branch efforts and spending that is presently allocated to combat China’s illegal fishing and use of forced labor in its fishing fleets and aquaculture industry. This report shall also include requests for additional funding, resources, and authorities that departments and agencies believe are necessary to combat the varying abuses of the Chinese fishing fleets.

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20-year sentence in rape, attempted murder case

SEARCY — A Beebe 29year-old was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty last month in White County Circuit Court to charges that included attempts to commit murder and rape.

Jacob Clifford Chumley was given 20 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction for class A felony criminal attempt to commit murder in the first degree, class A felony criminal attempt to commit rape and class B felony battery in the first degree, 20 years for class Y felony aggravated residential burglary, six years for class D felony aggravated assault on a certified employee of a correctional facility and class D felony battery in the second degree-certain victims, six months for class D felony battery in the second degree and a year in jail for class A misdemeanor battery in the third degree. His sentences run concurrently.

On May 1, 2020, emergency calls were received by White County and Beebe dispatch centers in regard to seeing a “White male walking the streets covered in blood” and claiming to have stabbed his father. Some of the calls concerned victims who were injured at different locations in Beebe, according to the affidavit written by White County Sheriff’s Office Detective Misty Goss.

One of the 911 calls even came from Chumley and “stated that he had just stabbed his father at his residence on Mississippi Street.” Additional calls came in reporting that a male suspect “was now inside a residence on Minnesota Street.”

Goss wrote that Beebe police arrived at the Minnesota Street residence, entered and found “a male struggling with a female victim in a bedroom.” The male was taken into custody and identified as Chumley.

Meanwhile, White County detectives, Goss wrote, responded and learned that the incidents began at Apartment B of 301 W. Mississippi St.

“Beebe police had previously arrived at this location and discovered a male victim with multiple wounds to his head and upper chest.” The alleged victim reportedly gave a statement that he was struck by Chumley with an object. He “required surgical repair due to his injuries.”

Detectives determined that Chumley traveled on foot to 501 W. Minnesota St., where “he encountered additional victims,” Goss wrote. They collected statements that a second victim was outside of her residence when she was approached by a male who told her he stabbed his father.

The male reportedly began asking this second victim for “sexual favors.” When the woman refused, Chumley allegedly began to strike her and pull at her clothing before he chased her into the residence.

A third alleged victim tried to intervene “but was struck to the face while the second victim locked herself in a bedroom,” Goss wrote. A fourth alleged victim came down the hallway of the residence and attempted to intervene. This alleged victim reportedly suffered “multiple wounds to his face, head and neck before collapsing on the floor.”

Chumley reportedly kicked in the door to the room where the second alleged victim was hiding in and again began attempts to remove her clothing. “This victim kicked the male (Chumley) and was able to retrieve a knife that he dropped,” Goss wrote.

When Beebe police took Chumley into custody, the alleged victim fled the room.

One of the alleged victims at the Minnesota Street residence also required “surgical repair” for injuries sustained.

Two days after he was booked into the White County Detention Center, Chumley reportedly struck a deputy in the face who was “attempting to give him cleaning supplies” because Chumley had smeared feces on the cell walls.

While being moved to a restraint chair, Chumley also spat on that deputy and two others, Detective Derek Warren wrote in the affidavit. One of the deputies reportedly “was directly struck in the face with saliva from inmate Chumley which also entered her mouth and greatly increased her risk of infection from the inmate.”

When more attempts were made to place Chumley in the chair, he reportedly kicked a deputy in her private area several times and headbutted another deputy “in the left side of her face near the eye.”

One of the deputies suffered a lacerated lip, while another had “a small visible bump above her eye after being struck” by Chumley.

Chumley reportedly admitted that he had recently used methamphetamine “and refused to be tested for tuberculosis upon arrival at the jail, which puts him into a higher risk category for infectious diseases.”