Movement to ban Chinese farmland purchases near military bases gains steam in the Senate
FIRST ON FOX: The movement to ban China from scooping up U.S. farmland conveniently located near military bases is gaining steam in the Senate.
The PASS Act, led by Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., has the backing of Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and would prevent any entity from a "covered country," which includes China, North Korea, Russia and Iran, from purchasing agricultural land near military bases or sensitive sites.
It would also give the Department of Agriculture the ability to submit cases to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. for review if it believes there is a national security concern and make the Agriculture secretary a voting member of the committee for purchases of agricultural land, biotechnology and any other transaction related to the agriculture industry.
The legislation has Democratic support from Nevada’s Catherine Cortez-Masto, whose state is home to sensitive research and testing sites like Area 51. It also has the backing of GOP Sens. John Hoeven, of North Dakota, and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming.
China owned around 350,000 acres of farmland across 27 states as of last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
As of 2022, foreign entities and individuals held 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land, which is nearly 2% of all land in the U.S.
"Our near-peer adversaries such as China are looking for any possible opportunity to surveil our nation’s capabilities and resources," Rounds said in a statement.
President Donald Trump's national security memorandum said Chinese farmland purchases "must be countered."
"The United States will protect our farmland and real estate near sensitive facilities, strengthen CFIUS authority over ‘greenfield’ investments."
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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said putting a stop to Chinese farmland purchases near military bases was at the "very, very top" of her list upon taking the new job.
For years, Chinese nationals have been caught attempting to breach U.S. military facilities, sometimes with drones or by posing as tourists.
Smithfield Foods, which has a Chinese parent company, owns the largest share of U.S. land of any foreign entity at 110,000 acres.
Chinese companies own nearly 10,000 acres of farmland in Polk, Florida, near MacDill Air Force Base and 277 acres in San Diego County near Camp Pendleton.
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A 2022 Chinese land purchase set off alarm bells when food producer Fufeng Group bought 370 acres for corn milling near a North Dakota Air Force base.
That prompted the Biden administration to propose a rule requiring any foreign company or individual looking to buy land within 100 miles of certain U.S. military bases to get government approval.
"This legislation would help safeguard our national defense, food supply, and rural economies and ensure farmland across South Dakota and our nation is protected from our foreign adversaries," Thune said in a statement.