U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) stated that his bill to prohibit Chinese entities from purchasing U.S. agricultural land is a matter of national security. Tester shared his statement in a June 14 post on X.
"Any farmer knows that food security is national security," said Tester. "I will not rest until my legislation to ban China and other foreign adversaries from owning American farmland becomes law of the land."
Tester introduced the bipartisan Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act Improvement Act (AFIDA) to monitor and manage foreign investment in U.S. agriculture and farming, according to a press release. The act specifically mentions establishing Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) data sharing, updating the AFIDA handbook, satisfying the requirements of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023, improving verification and monitoring of AFIDA data, identifying non-filers, and collecting data from every foreign investor. With this combined, Tester aims to crack down on foreign adversaries investing in U.S. agriculture.
Tester's respective Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act and Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act both target foreign adversaries – including China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia – from investing in, buying, or leasing U.S. farmland, according to the press release. The PASS Act gives power to CFIUS to oversee and monitor all agricultural foreign investment by utilizing data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Tester's Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Harm Act would strengthen AFIDA to allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture to review foreign ownership of U.S. land.
According to CNBC, the Fufeng Group, a Chinese company, bought 300 acres of land in Grand Forks about 20 minutes from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, raising national security concerns. The Grand Forks Air Force Base houses some of the nation’s most sensitive military drone technology and is home to a new space networking center.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation outlines four main issues posed by foreign land ownership: food security, intellectual property theft, espionage opportunities, and biological warfare risks. Food security is a concern since China has increased its agricultural farmland investment in the U.S. Intellectual property theft is an issue as Chinese entities seek insight into American agricultural practices for transfer back to China. Espionage is also a concern due to proximity to U.S. military installations posing potential for direct observation. Biological warfare risks arise as Chinese ownership of farmland could facilitate fast spread of pathogens that can devastate American crops or livestock.
Tester is a third-generation Montana farmer and former Montana Senate president, according to his website. His policy focuses on rural America and agriculture; he advocates for Montana’s ranchers, small business owners, veterans, sportsmen and women, and Tribal Nations.
