Protecting our nation's farmland from foreign adversaries

As a third-generation farmer, I understand how important agriculture is for families, jobs, and trade in Central Washington. Our district’s farmers and producers grow the highest quality hay, wheat and more than 300 specialty crops, making agriculture a vital part of our economy. But foreign adversaries are purchasing U.S. farmland at an alarming rate, posing a threat to Central Washington’s most crucial industry, and the federal government is struggling to keep up.

Last week the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report revealing that the U.S Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) system of tracking foreign ownership of our agricultural land is wildly inaccurate, posing a threat to our national security interests. According to the USDA’s own estimates, foreign investment in U.S. agricultural land grew to approximately 40 million acres in 2021—a staggering number compared to previous years. In Washington state alone, roughly 1,717,990 acres of farmland is owned by foreign entities.

This report confirms one of our worst fears: that not only is the USDA unable to answer the question of who owns what land and where, but that there is no plan by the department to internally reverse this dangerous flaw that affects our supply chain and economy. With the USDA only updating their land tracking database once per year, it is impossible for their data to be relevant and up to date. We also have evidence that their reporting is prone to be incorrect. In 2023, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) largest land holding was counted twice/ This forces the question—what other mistakes could be hiding in their data?

As your representative in Congress, I have been working to prevent our adversaries from purchasing domestic farmland. In my role on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the CCP, I introduced legislation to specifically prevent foreign adversaries from purchasing land near our national security sites. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I passed an amendment to the Agricultural and Rural Development Appropriations bill to require the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit the CCP, Russia, North Korea, and Iran from purchasing our agricultural land. Last year, I introduced the Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People’s Republic of China Act to prohibit the purchase of public or private agricultural land in the United States by foreign nationals associated with the Government of the People’s Republic of China.

While legislation is a great first step, I will, in my capacity as a member of the Select Committee on the CCP, Chairman of the Western Caucus, and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, be working to introduce further measures aimed at fixing USDA’s internal reporting and data management to identify to Congress, and the American people, exactly who is investing in the over 40 million acres of U.S. farmland reported to have ties to foreign actors.

When I speak with farmers and landowners throughout Central Washington they express deep concern about this encroachment on our land from foreign adversaries, and resolving this systematic issue within USDA is the next step in ensuring it is protected.