Sentors Young, Marshall introduce legislation to protect American farmland from foreign adversaries

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) in introducing the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act, which would permanently add the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to help prevent improper foreign interference and disruption to the U.S. agriculture industry.

CFIUS is the governmental body that oversees the vetting process of foreign investment and acquisition of American companies. In addition to permanently adding the Secretary of Agriculture to CFIUS, the bill would require that the Secretary report any transaction that could threaten national security, specifically concerning purchases made by adversarial nations like China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran.

“Nearly two-thirds of land in Indiana – and more than half of all land in the United States – is farmland,” said Senator Young. “Recent efforts by China and other adversaries to buy agricultural land across the country could present a national security threat. Indiana is a leader in restricting these purchases, but Congress must act to ensure permanent safeguards are in place in all fifty states.” 

“Food Security is national security, and it’s high time that we start recognizing this before it is too late,” said Senator Marshall. “The Secretary of Agriculture needs a seat at the table when the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is considering foreign agricultural investments. Having an agriculture presence on CFIUS helps the committee better understand the risks foreign investment can pose to farmers and ranchers, and the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act ensures that.” 

Specifically, the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act would: 

• Add the Secretary of Agriculture as a member of CFIUS
• Protect the U.S. agriculture industry from foreign control through transactions, mergers, acquisitions, or agreements
• Designate agricultural supply chains as critical infrastructure and critical technologies
• Require a report to Congress on current and potential foreign investments in the U.S. agricultural industry from USDA and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) 

In addition to Senators Young and Marshall, U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) also joined the legislation. U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA-4) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

Senator Young also supported the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act in the 118^th Congress.

Full text of the 119^th Congress legislation can be found here.