Nebraska's newly re-elected 2nd District Congressman continues to see a threat from China and other bad actor nations buying up farmland in the United States.
Chinese ownership of farmland in the U.S. is a national security threat, Rep. Don Bacon recently told USDA Newswire.
"Agricultural security is national security and Nebraska is one of the largest food-producing states in the nation and the world," Bacon said to Federal Newswire. "The fact that China owns over 350,000 acres - most of which are near military facilities - should be of grave concern, particularly since tensions with China are on the rise."
Buying up U.S. farmland is part of China's goal to becoming the world's leading nation, Bacon said.
"China's leadership has made clear they want to be the world's superpower and Russia is dedicated to undermining America," he said.
Bacon also referred to legislation he supports, including House Resolution 3413 and House Resolution 7892, that would address the danger posed by Chinese farmland ownership in the U.S.
"Legislation like H.R. 3413 and H.R. 7892 is a response to growing Chinese hostility toward American interests and a desire to protect our Agriculture," Bacon said. "Our food supply is the most important interest the United States has, and I will work to ensure that the American food supply does not become endangered by China."
Bacon, 59, grew up on a family farm in Illinois before serving in the U.S. Air Force for almost 30 years following his graduation from Northern Illinois University, according to information on his House website. He reached the rank of brigadier general and wing commander before he retired in 2014. About two years later, he was elected to his first term representing Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Earlier this month, he won a fourth term in the seat, defeating Democratic challenger Tony Vargas. Bacon is a member of the House Agricultural and Armed Services committees.
In September, Bacon signed on as a co-sponsor to H.R. 3413, introduced into the House by Oklahoma Republican Rep. Frank D. Lucas in May of last year. The legislation, called "the Agricultural Security Risk Review Act," would add the Agriculture Secretary as a member of the House Committee on Foreign Investment, which is responsible for reviewing any potential national security risks brought on by foreign investments in U.S. real estate, technology, and infrastructure.
Banning the Chinese Communist Party from buying up U.S. agricultural land is not a partisan issue, it is a national security issue, America First Policy Institute said in a fact sheet issued last month. American farmland is a strategic asset that allows the United States to maintain food security and independence, a challenge to China's Belt and Road Initiative that includes a stated goal of controlling global food supply chains. The fact sheet, citing documents from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, found that U.S. farm acreage owned by Chinese entities rose from 13,720 acres in 2010 to 352,140 acres in 2020. The latter amount would be enough acreage for almost 800 U.S. family farms.
The fact sheet also listed the 14 states that currently have laws in place prohibiting the Chinese Communist Party from owning farmland. Those states are Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Three other states have introduced similar legislation, including California. In August, the California State Legislatures passed Senate Bill 1084, the Food and Farm Security Act, which would have banned foreign governments from buying or leasing farmland in the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the legislation in late September.
At about the same time, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced executive action and legislative proposals "to address threats posed by the Communist Party of China and other hostile foreign powers in cyberspace, real estate, and academia." His proposals included legislation, up for consideration by that state's legislature next year, that would ban China and other "foreign countries of concern" from buying farmland.
On the federal level, H.R. 7892, the Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People's Republic of China Act, was introduced in May and currently has 37 Republican co-sponsors. H.R. 7892 would direct the President to take any actions necessary to prohibit China's government or anyone associated with the Chinese government from purchasing U.S. farmland. H.R. 7892 has now emerged from the House Agriculture and Foreign Affairs committees.
H.R. 7892 was introduced shortly after AgWeek reported that Fufeng USA, a subsidiary of Chinese-owned Fufeng Group Ltd, plans to build a corn milling plant on 370 acres near Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. Fufeng USA's plans sparked national security and environment concerns, AgWeek reported.
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission issued a report in May that highlighted security concerns about Fufeng USA's plant, according to a Grand Forks Herald news story published in June. The report found the plant would be only 12 miles away from Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Fufeng is headquartered in China and its chairman has ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
The Grand Forks Herald news story also cited a separate memo issued by U.S. Air Force Major Jeremy Fox that expressed national security concerns. Fox noted that "some of the most sensitive elements of Grand Forks exist with the digital uplinks and downlinks inherent with unmanned air systems and their interaction with space based assets."
