Ricketts Introduces the AFIDA Improvements Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure (AFIDA) Improvements Act. The bill will codify legislative oversightrecommendations to update the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978. The AFIDA Improvements Act will equip the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to combat foreign adversaries’ ownership of American agricultural land. Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Katie Britt (R-AL) are original co-sponsors of this legislation in the Senate. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) is leading companion legislation in the House.
“Agriculture is the heart and soul of Nebraska and of America,” said Ricketts. ”American farmland should remain in the hands of American farmers and ranchers, not foreign adversaries. Food security is national security.”
“Over the past several decades, China has been buying up American farmland in an attempt to infiltrate our agriculture supply chains. Food security is national security, and we cannot give the CCP a foothold. Thankfully, President Trump and Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins are working to make American Farmland American Again. I’m proud to join this legislation with Senator Ricketts to update our reporting requirements for foreign purchases of our farmland for the first time in nearly 50 years. As Alabama’s voice on the Senate Ag Committee, I will always support our great farmers and work to protect them from bad actors like China,” said Sen. Tuberville.
“We come together on this legislation to address the national security concerns stemming from the growing purchases of farmland by the Chinese Communist Party,” said Rep. Bacon. “Having actual processes in place will strengthen the security of our nation in the event nefarious foreign agents, such as the CCP, try to purchase agricultural lands within our nation. These lands must be protected as they are essential to feeding our country and other parts of the world, feeding livestock, fueling vehicles, and other uses.”
“Foreign entities purchasing American farmland opens the door to serious national security threats from countries like China that aim to undermine the United States, and we’ve already seen nefarious attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to acquire farmland near U.S. military bases in Texas,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation would enhance existing measures by strengthening enforcement and promoting data sharing so that we can more easily identify foreign adversaries purchasing U.S. farmland with malicious intent.”
The AFIDA Improvements Act:
- Will codify recommendations published in January 2024 by the legislative branch’s oversight entity after it conducted a study of AFIDA.
- In this report, it was found that the USDA’s AFIDA process has been ill-equipped to combat the foreign ownership of American agricultural land by foreign adversaries;
- Will increase information sharing between the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and USDA;
- Will require updates to the AFIDA handbook and establish a deadline by which USDA must set up an online AFIDA system; and
- Will require AFIDA reporting for foreign persons holding more than one percent interest in American agricultural land.
The text of the bill is available here.
This bill was initially covered in Fox News.
BACKGROUND:
Under AFIDA, foreign entities are required to disclose the transactions of American agricultural land to the USDA.
According to USDA, foreign investors own over 40 million acres of agricultural land across the United States. Additionally, between 2010 and 2021, Chinese ownership of American agricultural land increased from 13,720 acres to 383,935 acres.