Joco Today

Senator Marshall has joined a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024. This legislation aims to add the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), enhancing scrutiny over foreign acquisitions of U.S. farmland and agricultural industries. The bill targets purchases by nations such as China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran.

According to USDA data, over 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land are foreign-owned. Senator Marshall emphasized the importance of food security as national security: “This legislation goes to the heart of the issue and would require the vetting of domestic farmland purchases by dangerous nations like China, Russia, and North Korea.”

Senator Mike Braun noted a significant increase in Chinese ownership of American farmland over the past decade: “The amount of American soil in the hands of our foreign adversaries will only go up if we do not implement restrictions and oversight.”

Senator Tuberville highlighted concerns about foreign influence on agricultural supply chains: “We can’t give our adversaries like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran room to negatively influence our agricultural supply chains and food production.”

Senator Tester called for congressional action: “Our bipartisan bill will secure much-needed oversight to help stop bad actors who want to undermine our country.”

Senator Cotton expressed strong opposition to foreign ownership: “We should not allow anyone working on behalf of hostile foreign powers to own a single inch of American soil.”

Senator Manchin described the bill as essential for safeguarding agricultural resources: “This commonsense bill gives the Secretary of Agriculture a permanent review role on CFIUS.”

Senator Grassley emphasized national security concerns: “When adversarial foreign governments buy up U.S. farmland, it undermines economic opportunities for families across America’s Heartland and presents obvious national security threats.”

Senator Barrasso warned against trusting adversaries like China: “Giving our adversaries any control over our agricultural resources is a direct threat to our national and food security.”

Senator Britt advocated for protecting farmland from malign actors: “To protect Alabama and America’s farmland from being purchased by malign actors, the Secretary of Agriculture must have a seat at the table.”

Senator Young underscored Indiana's leadership in restricting such purchases but called for federal action: “Congress must act to ensure permanent safeguards are in place in all fifty states.”

Congressman Newhouse urged immediate action against CCP encroachment: “By adding the Secretary of Agriculture to CFIUS, we can ensure much-needed oversight of agricultural land purchases by foreign adversaries.”

The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 seeks to bolster protections for U.S. agriculture against potential threats posed by foreign ownership.