Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement following passage of his legislation, the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act. The House of Representatives approved the legislation by a bipartisan vote of 269-149.

“Today, the United States took a stand against one of our greatest foreign adversaries, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),” said Chairman Newhouse. “The CCP has been quietly purchasing American agricultural land at an alarming rate, and this bill is a crucial step towards reversing that trend. We know that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s foreign purchase tracking is wildly flawed, and by adding the Secretary of Agriculture to CFIUS, we can begin to correct course. Food security is national security, and it is incumbent upon us to keep our adversaries far away from the lands that feeds out country, and the world.”

“I’m thankful for Rep. Newhouse’s leadership in protecting our agriculture from China and its proxies,” said Speaker Mike Johnson. “Agriculture is the backbone of America, and we should take every possible measure necessary to protect it.”

The legislation is supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation, Texas Farm Bureau, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and Eagle Forum.

Background:

The bill adds the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for transactions, including land, biotechnology, transportation, storage, and processing. It also requires additional reporting of land acquisitions and investments from individuals of the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Senate companion bill, S. 5007, was introduced by Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) on September 10, 2024, and co-sponsors include: Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Barrasso (R-WY), Jon Tester (D-MT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Joe Manchin (I-WV), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Todd Young (R-IN), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Joni Ernst (R-IA).

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from January 2024 found that foreign ownership of agricultural land in the United States grew to 40 million acres in 2021, posing an increasing national security threat to America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers.

In July 2023, the Congressional Western Caucus held a Forum titled “The Dangers of the CCP Buying American Farmland” where Vice Chair Adrian Smith (NE-03), and Reps. Randy Feenstra (IA-04), Dusty Johnson (SD-AL), and Ronny Jackson (TX-13) heard from America First Policy Institute, American Compass, and the Foundation for American Innovation on the Chinese Communist Party’s investments of American farmland.