Should foreign countries be prevented from purchasing U.S. agricultural land?
This bill seeks to amend the Defense Production Act of 1950 to include the Secretary of Agriculture as a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for transactions involving agricultural land, biotechnology, and the agriculture industry. The bill also requires the Committee to review agricultural land transactions involving foreign entities from China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran, if notified by the Secretary of Agriculture, and assess whether they pose a national security risk.
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Opponents say
• "One of the key elements that we’ve seen in the U.S. context specifically is the role of pension funds investing in land as one important player of this broader category of corporate actors. Because the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America is a U.S. corporation, they are not being included in this appropriations discussion around threats of the Chinese government investing in land in the U.S. lands. We think there needs to be a broader conversation about corporate capture of land resources in the U.S. and abroad." Source: Jordan Treakle, National Programs and Policy Coordinator for the National Family Farm Coalition
• "Foreign persons held an interest in approximately 40 million acres of U.S. agricultural land as of December 31, 2021. This is 3.1 percent of all privately held agricultural land and 1.8 percent of all land in the United States." Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Proponents say
• "Food security is national security, and for too long, the federal government has allowed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to put our security at risk by turning a blind eye to their steadily increasing purchases of American farmland. It is not enough to just discuss this issue—we must take immediate action to stop the CCP from further encroachment. By adding the Secretary of Agriculture to CFIUS, we can ensure much-needed oversight of agricultural land purchases by foreign adversaries, which will protect American farmers and the industry as a whole. The Chinese Communist Party has long sought to undermine our institutions and very way of life, and I am proud to lead this effort to support farmers in Central Washington and across the nation." Source: Rep. Dan Newhouse (Republican, Washington, District 4)
• "Protecting American farmland is critical to maintaining our national security. In my travels around South Dakota, I have heard from many farmers and ranchers who are concerned about foreign adversaries owning American farmland. It is time to put a stop to this and take action." Source: Sen. Mike Rounds (Republican, South Dakota)
• "One of the things that I’m somewhat concerned about, that’s why I’m asking the question, is the potential to buy up farmland by a foreign country, potentially even a foreign adversary country. Is this something we’re seeing, number one, or is this something we’re even tracking? And if no one is checking this out…it seems to me we’re opening ourselves up to a risk we might regret later." Source: Jon Tester (Democrat, Montana)
- Newhouse Introduces Bill Protecting American Farmland from Foreign Adversaries (Press Release)
- Foreign Purchases of U.S. Agricultural Land: Facts, Figures, and an Assessment of Real Threats (Center for Strategic and Interna
- Land Policy: Towards a More Equitable Farming Future (National Young Farmers Coalition)
- Climate change is pushing American farmers to confront what’s next (Washington Post)
- Rep. Dan Newhouse’s Largest Donors (OpenSecrets)
