House appropriators adopt Newhouse amendment to protect ownership of American farmland

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee on June 23 unanimously adopted an amendment offered on the same day by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) to prevent foreign adversaries from owning America’s farmland.

“Ensuring our adversaries cannot control our domestic agriculture and food supply is a matter of national security, and I will not back down in this fight,” the congressman said last week.

Specifically, Rep. Newhouse’s amendment to the fiscal year 2023 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill would prohibit the purchase of agricultural land in the United States by companies owned, in full or in part, by the People’s Republic of China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran. 

“China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are not our allies, and it is imperative that we do not allow these adversaries to gain a foothold on American soil, especially with our food supply already weakened by poor policy decisions from this administration,” said Rep. Newhouse.

According to information provided by Rep. Newhouse’s office, six states —  Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Oklahoma — have laws banning foreign ownership of farmland, though restrictions on Chinese land ownership may be circumvented by Chinese investors who buy large U.S. corporations that own agricultural land.

The House Appropriations Committee voted 31-26 to adopt the appropriations bill, which would provide FY 2023 funding of $27.2 billion, an 8 percent increase over FY 2022 funding. The bill now heads to the full chamber for action.