Baldwin Joins Bipartisan Bill to Increase Oversight on Foreign Investment in U.S. Farmland

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined a bipartisan group of Senators on new legislation to increase scrutiny surrounding the purchase of agricultural land by foreign adversaries like China. The bipartisan Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 would add the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), adding additional scrutiny of farmland and agricultural industry purchases by foreign adversaries like China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran.

“Wisconsin’s farmland and agricultural businesses are not only central to our state’s identity, they move our Made in Wisconsin economy forward, create jobs in our communities, and put our state on the map with world-class exports,” said Senator Baldwin. “I’m committed to ensuring the Badger State continues to be an agricultural powerhouse in the future, and that includes defending our farmland from foreign adversaries that threaten our food and national security. I’m proud to work with Democrats and Republicans to protect our communities from bad actors like China and ensure our Made in Wisconsin agricultural economy stays strong for the next generation.”

Senator Baldwin has been a leader in cracking down on foreign ownership of America’s heartland, successfully passing her bipartisan Farmland Security Act to increase transparency and oversight of foreign ownership in the American agricultural industry. She also joined a bipartisan group of senators in introducing the AFIDA Improvements Act of 2024, legislation to strengthen reporting and enforcement of foreign investment in American agricultural land.

The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 would:

1. Permanently include the Secretary of Agriculture as a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) with respect to covered transactions involving agricultural land, agricultural biotech, or the transportation, storage, and processing of agricultural products.
2. Authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to report both agricultural land transactions that involve foreign persons of China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran, and transactions that require AFIDA reporting to CFIUS.

The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 is led by Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and co-sponsored by Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Joe Manchin (I-WV), Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Tester (D-MT), Roger Marshall (R-KS), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Barrasso (R-WY), Katie Britt (R-AL), and Deb Fischer (R-NE). Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04) introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives, where it passed out of the House Rules Committee in September, advancing the measure to the floor for a final vote.

Full text of this legislation is available here.

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