House lawmakers this week took new steps to protect U.S. farmland.
Just yesterday, the House approved a bill to increase oversight of foreign ag land purchases. The bi-partisan bill would add the Ag Secretary to the Committee on Foreign Investments. It would also allow the Committee to review purchases by China, Iran, and North Korea. The bill now heads to the Senate where it has already received bi-partisan support.
Purchases of U.S. ag land by places like China are considered a threat to U.S. agriculture. But counter-terrorism experts warn there are other, practical reasons for limiting those buys.
“To think about protecting our rural sort of space, Tim McVeigh was actually practicing his bomb-making in a very rural part of New Mexico. So he wasn’t doing it in the city. He wasn’t doing it in Oklahoma City. And so for me, having as many people who are owners and operators who live there and want to keep their community safe is incredibly important just from a practical Nebraska standpoint,” said Gina Ligon.
China is not the largest foreign land owner in the States - the top spot belongs to Canada. However, ag and national security leaders say countries like Canada and the UK are not a concern given the trade deals already in place.
