Foreign adversaries are barred from buying U.S. farmland under an amendment added to the House farm bill which recently passed in the House by voice vote. The bill was introduced by Florida Republican Greg Steube.
Much of the land referred to by Steube is located near sensitive military sites. Hawaii Democrat Jill Takuda agrees those sites should be protected, however she argues that the land restriction could be abused by the executive branch.
Takuda went on to point out that just 3.5 percent of U.S. farmland is foreign-owned, and mostly by U.S. allies and not China. Ag Chair GT Thompson argued an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially when it comes to protecting the food supply.
Thompson says 29 states have laws restricting foreign ownership of U.S. farmland. Thompson adds that Steube’s rider works in tandem with farm bill language ensuring the agriculture secretary has a seat on a national security board that reviews foreign investments.
