WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced an amendment to the Agriculture and Rural Development Appropriations bill that will require the Secretary of Agriculture to take necessary actions to prohibit the purchase of U.S. agricultural land by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Russia, North Korea, or Iran. His amendment was adopted by a vote of 34 to 26.
Watch Rep. Newhouse’s remarks HERE or read excerpts from his remarks as prepared below:
“Increased ownership of U.S. farmland by countries who are not our allies is an alarmingly growing trend that poses a risk to our national and economic security.
“For example, according to the USDA, the Chinese Communist Party currently owns over 380,000 acres of farmland in the United States, which is worth about $2 billion. But even more shocking than that is the trend: the CCP has increased their purchases by a factor of 10 over the last decade. This poses an immediate threat to U.S. national security and food security.
“When I talk to the many farmers and landowners in my district, they express deep concern about this encroachment of our land from foreign adversaries. They agree; we can no longer ignore the writing on the wall, and we must act to stop this threat now before it becomes too late.
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“My amendment would bolster Section 765 by directing the Secretary of Agriculture to take any actions necessary to prohibit the purchase of U.S. agricultural land by nonresident aliens, foreign businesses, or any agent, trustee, or fiduciary associated with Russia, North Korea, Iran, or the Community Party of China.
“This clarity is necessary because adversaries like the CCP will take every opportunity they can to threaten democracy, our republic, and our way of life, including our agricultural supply chains.”
Read the full text of the bill here.
Background:
Rep. Newhouse’s amendment, which was introduced to the House Committee on Appropriations’ Rural Development bill and adopted by a vote of 34 to 26, requires the Secretary of Agriculture to take necessary actions to prohibit the purchase of U.S. agricultural land by non-resident aliens, foreign businesses, or any agent, trustee, or fiduciary associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Russia, North Korea, or Iran.
Rep. Newhouse is a member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, which is committed to working on a bipartisan basis to build consensus on the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and develop a plan of action to defend the American people, our economy, and our values.
On February 2, 2023, Rep. Newhouse led his House colleagues in the re-introduction of the Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People’s Republic of China Act. This legislation would prohibit the purchase of public or private agricultural land in the United States by foreign nationals associated with the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
In January, Rep. Newhouse co-sponsored the Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security Act of 2023(PASS Act), which protects our national security by preventing foreign adversaries from taking any ownership or control of the United States’ agricultural land and agricultural businesses. More specifically, the PASS Act prohibits China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from purchasing U.S. agricultural land and agricultural companies.
Earlier this year, Rep. Newhouse sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack demanding action from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding their failure to conduct oversight of foreign acquisition of U.S. agricultural land.
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