Newhouse Protects U.S. Food Supply From Foreign Adversaries

Press Release

Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced an amendment to the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies FY2023 Appropriations Bill to prohibit the purchase of agricultural land in the U.S. by companies owned, in full or in part, by the People's Republic of China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran. His amendment was unanimously adopted by voice vote.

"China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are not our allies, and it is imperative that we do not allow these adversaries to gain a foothold on American soil, especially with our food supply already weakened by poor policy decisions from this Administration," said Rep. Newhouse. "Ensuring our adversaries cannot control our domestic agriculture and food supply is a matter of national security, and I will not back down in this fight."

Background:

* A 2018 report from USDA's Economic Research Service has found that Chinese investment in the agricultural sector has grown tenfold in the last decade.
* A 1978 federal law, known as the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, requires foreign entities to report transactions of farmland to the USDA's Farm Service Agency. The data covers years 1900 through 2016.
* Already, six states have laws banning foreign ownership of farmland. Those states are Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota and Oklahoma State, but restrictions on Chinese land ownership can be circumvented by Chinese investors buying large U.S. corporations that own agricultural land.
* Last year, Rep. Newhouse introduced an amendment to the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill to prohibit the purchase of agricultural land by the People's Republic of China (PRC) and make agricultural lands currently owned by the People's Republic of China ineligible for farm programs. This amendment was adopted by voice vote.
* In May, Rep. Newhouse introduced The Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People's Republic of China Act. This legislationwould direct the President of the United States to any necessary actions to prohibit public or private agricultural land in the United States by foreign nationals associated with the Government of the People's Republic of China. Additionally, the legislation would prohibit the same associations from participating in any Unites States Department of Agriculture programs except food safety inspections.

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