Grassley, Braun Push for Increased Oversight to Protect American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries

Grassley, Braun Push for Increased Oversight to Protect American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries

House companion legislation likely to move this week

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today joined Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) to introduce the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024. The legislation would increase scrutiny of foreign bids to purchase U.S. farmland, particularly from adversaries like China, North Korea, Russia and Iran, by adding the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

"When adversarial foreign governments buy up U.S. farmland, it undermines economic opportunities for families across America's Heartland and presents obvious national security threats. The federal government's number one job is to protect its citizens. Our legislation would support that fundamental responsibility by taking commonsense actions to address current vulnerabilities," Grassley said.

"Chinese ownership of American farmland increased more than 20-fold in the past decade. The amount of American soil in the hands of our foreign adversaries will only go up if we do not implement restrictions and oversight, especially on nations that compromise our national security and agricultural supply chains. I'm proud to lead this effort to protect American farms and food security," Braun said.

The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act would:

• Include the Secretary of Agriculture on CFIUS transactions involving agricultural land, biotech or product transport, storage and processing.

• Authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to report agricultural land transactions involving foreign persons of China, North Korea, Russia or Iran, as well as those invoking the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA).

Joining Grassley and Braun are Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.). Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) leads the legislation in the House of Representatives.

Learn more about Grassley's longstanding work to protect American farmland:

Grassley cosponsored AFIDA as a member of the House of Representatives. The 1978 law requires foreigners who acquire, sell or hold interest in U.S. farmland to disclose their transactions and assets. Last year as part of Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) appropriations, Congress modernized AFIDA by creating an internet database for investors to submit disclosures electronically. USDA has yet to fully address the errors that resulted from the previous handwritten disclosure process.

The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act is not Grassley's only legislative effort to give CFIUS more teeth on farm transactions: similarly, his bipartisan Food Security is National SecurityActwould ensure top U.S. agriculture and food officials have permanent CFIUS posts. Grassley's bipartisan Farmland Security Act would ensure all foreign investors, including shell companies, report their U.S. farmland holdings. It would also strengthen penalties for those who evade filing.

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