A bipartisan proposal introduced in the U.S. House on May 17 aims to block Chinese Communist Party (CCP) affiliates from taking hold of U.S. farmland, adding to the growing bipartisan push in Congress to counter threats from the regime in Beijing.
The legislation from Reps. Dale Strong (R-Ala.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), titled “Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act,” would bar individuals associated with the Chinese regime and other foreign adversaries from buying or leasing U.S. farmland.
The prohibition covers any person or entity “owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary”—among them are Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia, with the exception of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
Under the proposal, those covered individuals and entities would be banned from participating in Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs if they have full or partial ownership of U.S. farmland or lease agricultural land in the country unless it’s related to food safety regulatory requirements or the health and labor safety of individuals.
“The United States can no longer turn a blind eye to the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party. As the CCP looks to exploit weaknesses in our free and open society, it is our responsibility to ensure that the American people are protected against those who seek to undermine our national interest,” Strong said in a statement.
China owned 325,686 acres of U.S. agricultural land as of the end of 2020, according to the USDA. While that’s less than 1 percent of the total foreign-held land, the acreage marked a more than 20-fold jump from a decade earlier.
Spanberger, a former CIA case officer, said that her previous work in the intelligence field gave her clarity on the “threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party’s aggressive influence campaigns, as well as its attempts to target U.S. national security interests through seemingly innocuous transactions.
“And as the only Virginian on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, I’m committed to protecting America’s farms and farm families from foreign threats,” she added. “If buying up American farmland is a tool for eroding our nation’s food security, economic security, and national security, then we need to be prepared to take steps to push back against these efforts.”
By Eva Fu
