Bipartisan bill aims for oversight on foreign ownership of American farmland
Republican Senator Pete Ricketts and Democrat Senator John Fetterman are joining forces to introduce legislation aimed at increasing oversight on foreign countries purchasing American farmland. The bipartisan Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure (AFIDA) Improvements Act is a response to the findings of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in January 2024, which revealed that the AFIDA was not equipped to address foreign ownership of American agricultural land.
Senator Ricketts, a representative from Nebraska, emphasized the importance of keeping American farmland in the hands of American farmers and ranchers, rather than foreign adversaries. He stated, “The neighbors who feed us should benefit from land ownership, not Communist China. Food security is national security.” The bill, co-sponsored by Senators Tommy Tuberville, John Cornyn, Roger Wicker, and Representative Don Bacon, requires foreign persons holding more than one percent interest in American agricultural land to report to AFIDA.
Senator Tuberville of Alabama expressed concerns about China’s increasing acquisition of American farmland, stating, “Over the past several decades, China has been buying up American farmland in an attempt to infiltrate our agriculture supply chains. Food security is national security, and we cannot give the CCP a foothold.”
The AFIDA Improvements Act aims to enhance collaboration between the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It also mandates updates to the AFIDA’s handbook and establishes a deadline for the USDA to establish an online AFIDA system. Representative Bacon highlighted the significance of having robust processes in place to safeguard the nation against potential threats posed by foreign entities like the Chinese Communist Party.
Foreign investors currently own more than 40 million acres of agricultural land in the United States, with Chinese ownership escalating from 13,720 acres in 2010 to 383,935 acres in 2021. The AFIDA Improvements Act builds upon the recommendations of the GAO to modernize the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 and empower the USDA to counter foreign adversaries’ ownership of American agricultural land.
Efforts to monitor foreign ownership of American farmland and bolster national security have gained momentum among Congressional Republicans. The proposed legislation follows previous initiatives such as the PASS Act, which would prohibit entities from “covered countries” like China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran from acquiring agricultural land near military bases or sensitive sites. Additionally, the Not One More Inch or Acre Act aims to prevent China from purchasing any U.S. land.
On the campaign trail in 2024, President Donald Trump expressed support for banning China from buying American farmland. While a bipartisan amendment to ban China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran from purchasing American farmland was passed by the Senate in 2023, it did not become law.
In conclusion, the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure (AFIDA) Improvements Act represents a collaborative effort to enhance oversight on foreign countries buying American farmland and safeguard national security. The bipartisan support for this legislation underscores the importance of ensuring that American agricultural land remains in the hands of domestic farmers and ranchers.
