Congressmen Gonzalez, Jackson, Sessions, Panetta and Senators Fetterman, Tuberville Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Protect America’s Supply Chain from Potential Foreign Threats
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), Ronny Jackson, M.D. (TX-13), Pete Sessions (TX-17), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act with Senators Tommy Tuberville (AZ) and John Fetterman (PA).
The FARM Act would safeguard America’s agricultural industry from malicious foreign investors and strengthen our supply chain by modernizing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). This government agency is responsible for reviewing foreign investments and acquisitions of U.S. companies to ensure it can properly monitor investments and understand any national security implications.
Foreign investment in U.S. agricultural land has grown rapidly in recent years with 45.9 million acres of land currently under foreign control. At 4.7 million acres, Texas has the highest amount of foreign controlled land out of any state. While foreign investment is crucial to any modern economy, it is equally important to safeguard America’s agricultural supply chain from foreign adversaries. For example, since 2009, Chinese foreign investment has increased tenfold.
“Now more than ever, it is important that we safeguard American supply chains,” said Congressman Gonzalez. “The FARM Act would empower us to better monitor foreign investment for national security risks. I am proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect American agriculture and our food supply chain.”
Congressman Jackson said, “America's agricultural industry is no exception to the increasing national security threats our country faces. Biden's failed leadership allowed unchecked foreign influence, particularly from the Chinese Communist Party, to interfere with and attempt to control our food supply chain. Representing Texas's top agricultural-producing district, I am committed to ensuring our nation's food production remains free from foreign manipulation. This is why I am proud to reintroduce the FARM Act, putting America first and ensuring that our agricultural industry remains robust, secure, and free from foreign interference. Thank you to Senator Tuberville for leading companion legislation in the Senate, and we hope this bipartisan legislation, which is crucial to our food security, will move forward quickly to President Trump’s desk.”
Congressman Sessions said, “Foreign investment in the American agriculture industry continues to grow at a rapid pace. A large percentage of this land is owned by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) backed investments, which poses a large national security risk, as it affords China the opportunity to undermine our food and investment industries. The United States farmland is a critical piece of infrastructure and should continue to be recognized as such. Our food insecurity is a matter of national security. The FARM Act will give us the opportunity to better combat maligned foreign investments in agriculture and protect the American people. I am proud to stand next to my fellow members of Congress during this renewed effort to secure American interests.”
"Foreign control of American farmland and businesses poses a risk to our national security and food supply chain,” said Rep. Panetta. “That's why I’m proud to co-lead the bipartisan FARM Act, which ensures our agriculture industry is recognized as critical infrastructure and strengthens oversight of foreign investments. By adding the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, we can better safeguard our farmland, protect our farmers, and secure our food system for future generations."
“Pennsylvania is home to about 50,000 farms and the farmers who power them already face enough challenges to stay competitive. They shouldn’t also have to compete with foreign adversaries buying up American farmland,” said Senator John Fetterman. “America’s farms are critical infrastructure, and CFIUS exists to protect our critical infrastructure from foreign threats. So, adding the Secretary of Agriculture is just plain common sense. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: foreign adversaries have no business owning American farmland. This bill makes that clear and I’m proud to partner with my colleague to get it done.”
Senator Tuberville said, “Over the last decade, we’ve seen a surge of American farmland purchases from our foreign adversaries,” said Senator Tuberville. “These foreign investments are now reaching every piece of the very large puzzle that makes up our agriculture industry, from farming and processing, to packaging and shipping. Food security is national security, and we cannot allow our adversaries to have a foot in the door to our critical supply chains. We must prioritize oversight of foreign investment in our food supply chains, especially from Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran. This starts with giving the agriculture community a permanent seat at the table on CFIUS. As Alabama’s voice on the Senate Ag Committee, I will keep fighting to secure our ag supply chains so that our agriculture community can continue to put food on the table for America’s families.”
Bill text can be found here.
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