The Senate voted last month to include an amendment in the annual national defense bill that would to prohibit foreign adversaries from making future purchases of American agricultural land. U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) posted her support to restrict such sales on social media
"China, our nation’s number one pacing threat, is buying the farm and encroaching on land surrounding military bases," Ernst posted July 26 on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "I’m working to close these loopholes." Ernst included a link to a New York Times article on the vote.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission reported in May 2022 that China faces increasing demands on its agricultural production and seeks to address them through policy, technology and economic activities. In 2021, China imported a record amount of corn to meet its needs, according to the report. Despite domestic efforts, challenges like diminishing arable land and shifting demographics persist posed food security risks. As a result, China turned to investments and acquisitions abroad, including in the U.S., targeting agricultural assets, livestock, grains, and technology, the commission reported. These actions raised concerns for U.S. economic and national security, as China's access to IP and GM seeds may impact U.S. competitiveness, and acquisitions could affect supply chains and environmental consequences. The report advised policymakers to carefully consider China's integration into the U.S. agriculture sector, the report states.
Politico reported in February that legislation which aims to prohibit U.S. adversaries, including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, from purchasing American farmland, has been discussed for quite some time. Sen. John Tester (D-Mont.), the lone senator who is actually a working farmer, and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced their Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security Act early this year. Politico noted that the move to prevent China from purchasing US farmland heightened due to the spy balloon and other Chinese actions.
Rounds and Tester introduced the amendment which was added to the annual national defense bill on July 25 that will prohibit foreign adversaries from making future purchases of American agricultural land, the Gazette. The amendment passed on a bipartisan vote of 91-7, and specifically focuses on the fact that China was surrounding US military bases with their purchases.
"In recent years, our country has seen firsthand attempts by our near-peer competitors to acquire land adjacent to our military bases.” He continued on to say that "This demonstrates the need for my amendment,” Sen. Rounds said in a Colorado Springs Gazette article on July 25.
The amendment allows significant agriculture-related foreign investments to be reviewed using data from the Department of Agriculture. It also grants the power to block future farmland purchases by foreign adversaries.
"America is not for sale," Ernst said in the article. "There is no ignoring that China is in our own backyard and buying up land near our critical military installations. I have worked to close the loopholes that have allowed the Chinese Communist Party to encroach on our farmland, and today I am proud to see those efforts are helping to strengthen our national security and combat our foreign adversaries. As Iowa farmers know, food security is national security."
