Cedar Rapids Today

Congresswoman Ashley Hinson has joined as an original co-sponsor of the Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act, reintroduced by Representative Ronny Jackson. The legislation aims to empower the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to monitor and prevent adversaries such as China from purchasing U.S. farmland and critical agricultural infrastructure.

"America's adversaries, including China, continue to buy U.S. farmland at an alarming rate," stated Congresswoman Ashley Hinson. "China doesn’t even allow its citizens to own land, yet China has purchased over 350,000 acres of America’s farmland. By ensuring the Secretary of Agriculture has a seat at the table of CFIUS, foreign transactions involving agricultural assets will receive proper oversight so we can prevent our adversaries from undermining our agriculture supply chains and national security."

Foreign investment in American agriculture has grown significantly, with foreign entities owning nearly 45 million acres valued at approximately $83 billion. The FARM Act seeks to address this by designating the agriculture industry and its supply chains as critical infrastructure, requiring CFIUS to monitor foreign investments in agriculture, and adding the Secretary of Agriculture as a member of CFIUS.

The full text of the bill is available for review.