U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) and U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) unveiled a bipartisan, bicameral bill that would restrict the purchase of American farmland by foreign adversaries, including the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“Nearly two-thirds of land in Indiana — and more than half of all land in the United States — is farmland,” Sen. Young said. “Recent efforts by China and other adversaries to buy agricultural land across the country could present a national security threat. Congress must act to ensure permanent safeguards are in place in all 50 states.”
Sen. Young on Feb. 25 cosponsored the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2025, S. 732, with fellow cosponsor U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). Rep. Newhouse on the same day sponsored the identical H.R. 1576, which currently has 41 cosponsors, including U.S. Rep. Dave Vasquez (D-NM).
“The Chinese Communist Party is our most formidable adversary, and we must act immediately to defend our food and national security interests,” said Rep. Newhouse.
If enacted, the measure would permanently add the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture as a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The appointment would help prevent improper foreign interference and disruption to the U.S. agriculture industry via CFIUS, which is the governmental body that oversees the vetting process of foreign investment and acquisition of American companies.
“Farmers, ranchers, and landowners across the country deserve the certainty offered by adding the Secretary of Agriculture to CFIUS to ensure they are not selling land to an entity controlled by the CCP,” Rep. Newhouse said.
In addition, S. 732 would require that the secretary report any transaction that could threaten national security, specifically concerning purchases made by adversarial nations including China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
Among other provisions, the bill also would protect the U.S. agriculture industry from foreign control through transactions, mergers, acquisitions, or agreements, and designate agricultural supply chains as critical infrastructure and critical technologies, the summary says.
At the same time, Rep. Newhouse on Feb. 25 also sponsored the No American Land for Communist China Act, H.R. 1575, alongside 40 of his Republican colleagues.
If enacted, the bill would prohibit certain businesses and persons from purchasing real estate adjacent to covered federal lands in the United States, according to the bill’s text. U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.
“We must prevent the CCP from purchasing land near federal property, including military installations and national laboratories, to protect our domestic security interests,” Rep. Newhouse said. “I am glad to have the support of my colleagues in the House and Senate on these critical pieces of legislation.”