Mobile Courant

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has partnered with U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) to introduce the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024. The proposed legislation aims to permanently include the Secretary of Agriculture in the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and grant the Secretary authority to flag all U.S. farmland acquisitions by foreign adversaries, including China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran.

Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04) has introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

"Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have bowed to China every chance that they get—even when it comes to our agriculture industry," said Senator Tuberville. "In the last decade alone, we have seen a surge of over 35% in foreign land purchases—including in my home state of Alabama. We can’t give our adversaries like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran room to negatively influence our agricultural supply chains and food production. Food security is national security, which is why I’m proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Braun that ensures the Secretary of Agriculture has a seat at the table on CFIUS and the opportunity to push back on proposed foreign ag investments."

The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 is supported by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Fetterman (D-PA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Joe Manchin (I-WV), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Tester (D-MT), and Todd Young (R-IN).

Recent data indicates a rapid increase in foreign investment in U.S. agricultural land, particularly from China. According to USDA data from December 2022, foreign investors own approximately 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land. This figure represents an annual average increase of 2.9 million acres since 2017.

Between 2010 and 2022, entities or individuals from China increased their ownership of U.S. agricultural land more than twentyfold—from 13,720 acres to 346,915 acres. Alabama ranks third among states with significant foreign-owned agricultural land holdings.

In January, Senator Tuberville collaborated with Senator Braun and other colleagues on introducing the AFIDA Improvements Act of 2024 for enhanced information collection regarding foreign ownership of American farmland.

Additional legislative efforts by Senator Tuberville include:

- The Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act.

- The Foreign Adversary Risk Management Act.

- The Securing America’s Land from Foreign Interference Act introduced alongside Senator Tom Cotton.

Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and serves on multiple committees including Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.

###