U.S. Senator Mike Rounds introduced legislation last week that would blacklist Communist China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from purchasing or having a financial interest in land or businesses in the United States involved in agriculture.
All four are socialist or quasi-socialist regimes where companies are either owned and operated by the government, or privately owned and essentially controlled by the government for the purpose of carrying out regime goals.
“Protecting American farmland is critical to maintaining our national security,” said Rounds. “As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I was alarmed when a Chinese company recently purchased farmland near an Air Force base in North Dakota. This acquisition could threaten our national security by allowing the Chinese Communist Party to closely monitor the operations and communications at a very important military facility.
“In my travels around South Dakota, I’ve heard from many farmers and ranchers who are concerned about foreign adversaries owning American farmland. It’s time to put a stop to this and take action. This legislation makes certain American interests are protected by blacklisting foreign adversaries from purchasing land or businesses involved in agriculture,” said Rounds.
Round’s Senate legislation comes after Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) introduced the House version of the PASS Act In June.
“Rounds’ legislation retains key provisions of the House version and adds additional language related to foreign investments, agricultural land acquisition and reporting by the Secretary of Agriculture,” Rounds’ office announced in a statement.
Rounds reports his new provisions:
Blacklists China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from purchasing or investing in agriculture land and companies.
Requires reporting from the Secretary of Agriculture on the risk to the American agriculture sector of foreign takeovers and/or investments in agriculture companies or land used for agricultural purposes.
Allows the President, after reporting to Congress on why doing so is vital to the national security interests of the United States, to waive the requirement prohibiting a transaction on a case-by-case basis.
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Michael Brigham
Michael Brigham has written for American Action News since the summer of 2019. His areas of expertise include foreign affairs, government, and politics, but regardless of the subject matter, he has a nose and an insatiable appetite for news. In his free time, he enjoys reading nonfiction, watching a mix of comedies and true crime documentaries, and spending time away from the swamp hiking in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
any & all Midwest US farmlands
I’ll donate to that extremely SECURITY BIG ISSUE!!!!!!! THEY KNOW BIDEN AND HIS COMMIES ARE WEAK AND WILL AGREE TO THIS!!!! This is China’s WAY of getting complete control of the USA! That’s China’s strategy. I can’t believe that our WEAK PENTAGON WOULD ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN. Extremely SAD AND UNSAFE!!!
those countries should not be allowed to buy anything in the US not just agricultural land.
No foreigners should own any kind of land in America. Period.
There’s a reason why other countries don’t buy land in other countries? Spying on government installations and the ability to jamb communications, control remote demands from other secured areas may be the case? Would you want Putin’s KGB move next door to you? Would you question why China has purchased 2500 acres next to a United States Nuclear silo?
I’m no expert, but, many in Washington, D.C. should remove their head from their ASS or remove their head from the persons ASS in front of them!!!!
Excellent move. But with the current makeup of Congress I don’t hold out any hope that it will go somewhere.
About time those DC lunkheads act
Senator you are a little late by 30 years…they’ve been buying our land for some time and if they aren’t, bill gates is and he does NOT intend on using it for farming…
This is my kind of senator. One who actually looks out for Americans.
So, what took so long to decide allowing other countries to buy up our countries land was a bad idea? Our politicians are really on the ball, and the one guy who wanted to put a stop to all this nonsense, is the guy they and msm have been targeting for over six years to prevent him from putting our country and citizens first. I don’t know about you, but it sure makes me wonder what’s going on?
The country should always have had a law against our enemies or potential enemies from owning our farm lands.
Why & HOW can it even be legally.possible since the Cold War startcd in ’45…?
What are they thinking,selling our farm land.
Congress sold out long ago.
Hooray Must do nationwide
Thank you Sen Rounds and Rep Elise Stefanik for trying to protect the USA. There is no reason for this bill not to pass unanimously.
Our freedom and openness is being taken advantage of by these dictators. I hate to see some freedoms curtailed but these foreign actors have no rights here. This should have been done five years ago.
I suspect they will form an American company to do this for them
who is the commie that sold out to the commies
Even though Chuck Schumer is very anti-China and should easily promote this bill,the Congress is so extremely divided that even he will probably not act on this. Heaven forbid the Reps have a bill passed which benefits and protects Americans. It might not look good to Dems.
It’s not just farmland…it is the land surrounding U.S. MILITARY bases across the United States!
Texas, North Dakota, California…virtually every strategic military installation is now compromised and we have a completely corrupt government, administration and president at this time and all 3 are facilitating this takeover of our country.
Wake up America!