Jefferson Reporter

U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) have introduced the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024. This legislation aims to add the Secretary of Agriculture as a permanent member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The inclusion is intended to increase scrutiny on foreign acquisitions of U.S. farmland and agricultural industries, particularly by adversaries such as China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran.

“Food security is national security and that requires America’s farmland be protected from foreign adversaries, like China. I believe one acre of American farmland owned by the Chinese Communist Party is one acre too many,” said Senator Britt. “To protect Alabama and America’s farmland from being purchased by malign actors, the Secretary of Agriculture must have a seat at the table. This commonsense legislation ensures the Secretary of Agriculture is made a permanent member of CFIUS in order to weigh in on the needs of America’s agriculture industry when reviewing foreign investment and ownership.”

Senator Braun highlighted concerns over increasing foreign ownership: “Chinese ownership of American farmland increased more than 20-fold in the past decade. The amount of American soil in the hands of our foreign adversaries will only go up if we do not implement restrictions and oversight, especially on nations that compromise our national security and agricultural supply chains. I’m proud to lead this effort to protect American farms and food security.”

Senator Tuberville also expressed his support for stringent measures against foreign land purchases: “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have bowed to China every chance that they get—even when it comes to our agriculture industry. In the last decade alone, we have seen a surge of over 35% in foreign land purchases—including in my home state of Alabama. We can’t give our adversaries like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran room to negatively influence our agricultural supply chains and food production. Food security is national security, which is why I’m proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Braun that ensures the Secretary of Agriculture has a seat at the table on CFIUS and the opportunity to push back on proposed foreign ag investments.”

The bill has garnered bipartisan support with cosponsors including Sens. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Roger Marshall (R-Kans.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.). Representative Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) introduced corresponding legislation in the House.

The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act aligns with other legislative efforts by Senator Britt aimed at holding foreign adversaries accountable. These include co-sponsoring bills such as the Foreign Adversary Risk Management Act with Senator Tuberville, introducing Not One More Inch or Acre Act with Senator Cotton, sponsoring an amendment for tracking foreign investment through USDA funding within Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024, and advocating for Protect Our Bases Act alongside Senator Tim Scott.