Bacon and Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect U.S. Farmland from Foreign Ownership

Bipartisan Legislation Closes Critical Gaps in Foreign Agricultural Land Ownership Tracking

Washington – Recently, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE-02) along with Reps. Mark Alford (R-MO-04), Michael Bost (R-IL-12), Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28), Brad Finstad (R-MN-01), Ashley Hinson (R-IA-02), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06), Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04), and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) introduced bipartisan legislation, H.R. 4362, the AFIDA Improvements Act of 2025, to address concerns about foreign farmland ownership.

The AFIDA Improvements Act codifies recommendations published by the GAO to amend the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) to ensure there is timely and detailed data sharing of foreign investments in agricultural land transactions, better oversight and validation of information, and a better way to help identify those foreign entities who do not file notification they have purchased land in the United States. This legislation will help the United States better track and combat the CCP trying to buy up farmland. 

The full text of H.R. 4362 the AFIDA Improvements Act of 2025 can be found here.

“The AFIDA Improvements Act is a bipartisan path to address the national security concerns stemming from the growing purchases of farmland by the Chinese Communist Party. This legislation, among other things, will ensure there is timely and detailed data sharing of foreign investments in agricultural land, better reviewing and validating of information, and identify those foreign entities who do not file notification they have purchased land in the United States,” said Rep. Bacon. “Having actual processes in place will strengthen the security of our nation in the event nefarious foreign agents, such as the CCP, try to purchase agricultural lands within our nation. These lands must be protected as they are essential to feeding our country and other parts of the world, feeding livestock, fueling vehicles, and other uses.”

“Purchases of American farmland by foreign adversaries are a grave national security risk that has gone on for too long,” said Rep. Alford. “The Trump Administration and House Republicans have made confronting this threat a top priority. The AFIDA Improvements Act will provide the necessary data reporting and transparency for land transactions to help the government weed out unscrupulous land deals. This bill is a critical part of protecting U.S. farmland and should be included in any larger package to address this egregious problem.”

“We cannot allow foreign adversaries to quietly buy up America’s farmland and threaten our food supply and national security,” said Rep. Bost. “I’m proud to help lead the reintroduction of the AFIDA Improvements Act to shine a light on these shady land grabs, strengthen reporting requirements, and close loopholes that allow foreign entities to fly under the radar. If we don’t act now, we risk selling out our future one acre at a time.”

“By modernizing AFIDA, we’re taking meaningful steps to safeguard our national security and ensure American farmland stays in American hands,” said Rep. Cuellar. “With Texas leading the nation in foreign-held agricultural land, these reforms are especially urgent for my home state. Our farmers and rural communities deserve transparency and accountability to prevent foreign adversaries from quietly buying up the land that feeds our country.”

“Food security is national security, and Americans deserve to know how and to what extent foreign investment in American farmland, especially by our adversaries like China, poses a risk to our family farms and food supply,” said Rep. Finstad. “As a fourth-generation farmer, I believe it is critical that American farmland be owned by American farmers and I’m proud to join Rep. Bacon in introducing the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, which will help us prevent foreign entity ownership.”

“This legislation is a bipartisan, commonsense fix to a growing threat,” said Rep. Houlahan. “Adopting these recommendations from the non-partisan GAO is a step forward in protecting America's military installations, farmers, and food security. I want to thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for advancing this important legislation.”

“With the Secretary of Agriculture now a member of CFIUS, Congress should take the next steps towards policies that strengthen the reporting of foreign land purchases. Rep. Bacon’s legislation streamlines the reporting and data sharing of foreign investments into American farmland as another safeguard against the influence of the CCP,” said Rep. Newhouse. “We must remain vigilant in the effort to keep foreign adversaries out of our backyards and give authorities the information they need to be successful.”

“Foreign entities, especially those tied to adversarial governments like the Chinese Communist Party, buying U.S. agricultural land poses a serious threat to our food and national security,” said Rep. Panetta. “The AFIDA Improvements Act implements commonsense, bipartisan reforms to provide transparency, accountability, and tools needed to monitor these transactions. By improving oversight of foreign land purchases, we can better protect America’s farmland, our agricultural economy, and the security of our nation.”

Last Congress, AFIDA was successfully included in the Farm Bill passed by the House Agriculture Committee. Rep. Bacon looks forward to working with the Committee this Congress to advance this critical initiative.

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