Ricketts and Fetterman Join Forces to Combat China’s Efforts to Buy U.S. Farmland
Senate introduces bipartisan bill to tighten oversight on foreign ownership of U.S. farmland, citing food security as national security concern.
A bipartisan coalition in the Senate is moving to address growing concerns over foreign ownership of American farmland, unveiling new legislation aimed at bolstering oversight of international investments in U.S. agricultural land. Spearheaded by Republican Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure (AFIDA) Improvements Act draws on recent recommendations from the Government Accountability Office, which flagged deficiencies in the federal system tasked with tracking foreign purchases of American farmland.
"American farmland should remain in the hands of American farmers and ranchers, not foreign adversaries," emphasized Senator Ricketts, underscoring the national security stakes. "The neighbors who feed us should benefit from land ownership, not Communist China. Food security is national security." Similar sentiments have echoed across both sides of the aisle, as concern mounts about the rapid increase in Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland.
The proposed bill would require foreign entities holding more than a one percent interest in any American agricultural property to report their stake through an improved AFIDA process. The measure, also co-sponsored by Senators Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, John Cornyn of Texas, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, aims to tighten reporting requirements and enhance interagency coordination between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.
Senator Tuberville warned that, "Over the past several decades, China has been buying up American farmland in an attempt to infiltrate our agriculture supply chains. Food security is national security, and we cannot give the CCP a foothold." According to USDA data, Chinese ownership of U.S. agricultural land rose dramatically from 13,720 acres in 2010 to over 383,000 acres in 2021—part of a broader trend that has seen foreign investors accumulate upwards of 40 million acres total.
The AFIDA Improvements Act would enforce stricter timelines for USDA action, update outdated handbook guidance, and establish a digital portal to streamline the filing and transparency of foreign investment disclosures. The legislative push is part of a series of recent efforts on Capitol Hill to fortify protections against foreign control of American farmland, including attempts to ban purchases near sensitive military locations and proposals to bar Chinese nationals and entities from land acquisitions altogether.
Representative Don Bacon, a lead sponsor in the House, argued that strengthened processes are essential for safeguarding the country’s food supply and national defense. He stressed the importance of having actual procedures in place to prevent potentially hostile foreign agents, such as representatives of the Chinese Communist Party, from gaining access to critical agricultural resources.
While Congress considers the AFIDA Improvements Act, the debate over foreign land ownership continues to intensify, especially in the context of similar legislation like the PASS Act, which seeks to bar entities from China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran from acquiring farmland near military bases. Though the Senate passed a bipartisan amendment last year to ban these nations from purchasing U.S. farmland, the measure ultimately did not become law.
On the 2024 presidential campaign trail, the call for stricter regulations is resonating with candidates, with former President Donald Trump pledging he would enforce a blanket ban on Chinese acquisition of American farmland if reelected. Meanwhile, momentum builds in both chambers of Congress to ensure that American agriculture remains, as many lawmakers say, firmly in American hands.
