WASHINGTON, D.C. – On July 12, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) helped introduce the Protecting U.S. Farmland and Sensitive Sites From Foreign Adversaries Act, which is legislation – endorsed by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party – that would give the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) greater jurisdiction over land purchases and establish guardrails against land purchases by foreign adversaries near military instillations, intelligence facilities, Department of Energy national laboratories, and other sensitive locations.
This legislation also requires that CFIUS consider American food security when making decisions related to farmland purchases and that the Secretary of Agriculture have a vote in CFIUS reviews of foreign farmland and agricultural biotechnology transactions.
“American farmland belongs to American farmers — period. For the sake of our national, energy, and food security, we cannot let China, or any other foreign adversary, buy our fertile farmland, prevent our young producers from planting their roots, or jeopardize our agricultural supply chains,” said Rep. Randy Feenstra. “I am proud to work with my colleagues to introduce legislation to protect American farmland from foreign acquisition, particularly the Chinese Communist Party, and keep American farmland where it rightfully belongs — in the hands of American farmers.”
Earlier this year, Feenstra introduced, and the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed, his amendment – the Defend America’s Rural Energy Act – to House Republicans’ comprehensive energy package that would prevent China from buying American farmland suitable for ethanol and biodiesel production.
Last year, a Chinese company – the FuFeng group – bought land near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in Grand Forks, North Dakota; a serious lack of oversight by the federal government. This legislation would have prevented this purchase by giving CFIUS the latitude to review and stop any foreign land purchase that could threaten national security.
You can find legislative text HERE.
Original source can be found here.
