Congress moves to block China, Russia from buying U.S. farmland
S. 618 — Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act of 2025 · Filed by Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 18, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill prohibits citizens and entities controlled by Iran, North Korea, China, or Russia from buying or leasing agricultural land in the U.S. (both public and private), and bars them from participating in USDA programs. It also expands foreign-investment disclosure requirements to include security interests and leases, increases civil penalties for non-disclosure, and requires the Secretary of Agriculture and Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress on foreign agricultural ownership and potential national security risks.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to restrict foreign adversary acquisition of U.S. agricultural land and participation in USDA programs as a national security measure, with secondary transparency and enforcement enhancements to the existing Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act.
What the text implies
- The bill grants the President broad authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to implement prohibitions, potentially allowing executive action without further congressional approval or detailed regulatory process.
- Existing foreign ownership as of enactment is grandfathered—current foreign-held agricultural land is not required to be divested, creating a potential loophole for entities that acquired land before passage.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens benefit from preventing hostile foreign governments from acquiring control over U.S. agricultural land and food supply chains, which poses genuine national security and economic risks.