Newhouse Bill Protecting American Farmland from Foreign Adversaries Passes House

Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed his bill, the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act.

"Today, the United States took a stand against one of our greatest foreign adversaries, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),"said Rep. Newhouse.

Newhouse continues, "The CCP has been quietly purchasing American agricultural land at an alarming rate, and this bill is a crucial step towards reversing that trend. We know that USDA's foreign purchase tracking is wildly flawed, and by adding the Secretary of Agriculture to CFIUS, we can begin to correct course. Food security is national security, and it is incumbent upon us to keep our adversaries far away from the lands that feeds our country, and the world."

"I'm thankful for Rep. Newhouse's leadership in protecting our agriculture from China and its proxies," said House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Speaker Johnson continues,"Agriculture is the backbone of America, and we should take every possible measure necessary to protect it."

Watch Rep. Newhouse's floor speech on the legislation here(link is external).

The bill adds the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to CFIUS for transactions, including land, biotechnology, transportation, storage, and processing. It also requires the Secretary to report any transaction that can be considered a threat to national security.

Rep. Newhouse is a member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, tasked with finding bipartisan solutions to the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and develop a plan of action to defend the American people, our economy, and our values.

The Senate companion bill, S. 5007(link is external), was introduced by Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) on September 10, 2024, and co-sponsors include: Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Barrasso (R-WY), Jon Tester (D-MT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Joe Manchin (I-WV), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Todd Young (R-IN), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Joni Ernst (R-IA).

Full House bill text can be found here.

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