Foreign investors from several of America’s global adversaries currently own millions of acres of U.S. agricultural land, a number expected to rise.
In an effort to deter the expected projection from becoming reality, elected officials from across the country have been searching for solutions and calling attention to the issue.
Leading the fight against future agricultural expansion from foreign entities are Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt. Both legislators, on Monday, took part in introducing the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 which would permanently add the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and provide the Secretary authority to flag all U.S. farmland acquisitions by foreign adversaries including China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran.
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have bowed to China every chance that they get—even when it comes to our agriculture industry,” said Tuberville. “In the last decade alone, we have seen a surge of over 35% in foreign land purchases—including in my home state of Alabama. We can’t give our adversaries like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran room to negatively influence our agricultural supply chains and food production.”
“Food security is national security, which is why I’m proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Braun that ensures the Secretary of Agriculture has a seat at the table on CFIUS and the opportunity to push back on proposed foreign ag investments.”
RELATED: Britt: 1 acre of US farmland owned by China is 1 too many
Britt called the legislation “common sense.”
“Food security is national security and that requires America’s farmland be protected from foreign adversaries, like China. I believe one acre of American farmland owned by the Chinese Communist Party is one acre too many,” Britt said. “To protect Alabama and America’s farmland from being purchased by malign actors, the Secretary of Agriculture must have a seat at the table. This legislation ensures the Secretary of Agriculture is made a permanent member of CFIUS in order to weigh in on the needs of America’s agriculture industry when reviewing foreign investment and ownership.”
Alabama has the third-highest
On the House side, U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Monrovia) has been a leading voice on restricting foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land, particularly by China.
RELATED: Dale Strong’s bill to protect American ‘food, fiber, and fuel’ from Chinese influence moves forward
Strong’s Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act, now part of the broader Countering Communist China Act, aims to block individuals associated with foreign adversaries from purchasing or leasing American farmland.
“The Chinese Communist Party is one of the greatest national security threats facing the American people,” Rep. Strong said.
“Since I got to Washington, I’ve been working to keep our foreign adversaries – including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia – from purchasing or leasing American agricultural land. This is crucial to protect not only our food, fiber, and fuel— but also to our national security.”
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
