The Biden administration has failed to adequately track foreign ownership of U.S. farmland and has no plans to begin tracking that data, according to a study by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO).
According to a GAO report detailing its findings, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not consistently provide timely data on foreign investments in U.S. farmland as required by the Agriculture Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA). I have not been able to share it. Additionally, the report said Pentagon officials told investigators that the USDA needed to provide more up-to-date and specific AFIDA data on a regular basis.
A GAO report released late Thursday found that “sharing current data could increase visibility of potential national security risks associated with foreign investment in U.S. farmland.” There is a gender,” he said. “USDA has implemented AFIDA throughout its field offices and headquarters, but the process for collecting, tracking, and reporting critical information is flawed.”
GAO's investigation concluded that USDA collects AFIDA data from paper forms submitted to county or federal offices, but the process is “opaque and difficult to implement.” The Department of Agriculture also has no plan or timeline for creating an online AFIDA database, despite a Congressional mandate to create one by 2025.
Republican bill to protect U.S. agriculture from China moves forward with strong bipartisan support
President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual White House meeting with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in 2022. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)
Finally, a review of AFIDA data by a government watchdog agency (the most recent is from 2021) found that the USDA had published errors, including twice reporting the largest land holdings associated with China. .
“This report confirms one of our biggest concerns: Not only does the USDA fail to answer questions about who owns what land and where, but it also “There is no plan within the Department of Agriculture to reverse this dangerous flaw that impacts the chain and the society and economy,” said Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.). “Food security is national security, and we cannot allow foreign adversaries to affect our food supply while we butt heads.”
“In my capacity as a member of the Communist Party of China Select Committee, chairman of the Western Caucus, and member of the House Appropriations Committee, I am committed to amending USDA's internal reporting and data management to identify personal information. “We will work to introduce targeted measures. We want Congress and the American people to know exactly who is investing in the more than 40 million acres of American farmland that have reported ties to foreign parties.” he continued.
Democratic-backed EV company affiliated with Chinese Communist Party buys Michigan land miles from U.S. military base
In recent months, Republican lawmakers and local leaders across the country have increased scrutiny of land purchases by foreign investors. The increase in land purchases has raised concerns that foreign companies and investors, particularly from China, are gaining control of America's major food and energy supplies.
“China’s ownership of U.S. farmland is a threat to our food security and national security. An affordable and reliable food supply is critical to our nation’s well-being and prosperity, and we believe that the United States has control over our resources. We have to make sure we can sustain it,” Oversight Committee Chairman James said. Comer, R-Kentucky, said in 2022 after asking GAO to investigate. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
As of 2021, foreign investment in U.S. farmland has increased to approximately 40 million acres, according to the latest data from the USDA. moreover, Chinese agricultural investment In the US, it increased tenfold from 2009 to 2016 alone.
In response to this clear trend, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-Pennsylvania) and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) announced in October 2022 that House Republicans He led a letter to GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro signed by approximately 130 people, requesting: An investigation into foreign investment in U.S. farmland and its “national security, trade, and food security implications.”
Biden administration abruptly withdraws proposal to open public lands to foreign ownership after opposition from Republicans
“The growth in foreign ownership of U.S. farmland, particularly by China, poses a direct threat to our food security and national security,” Thompson and Comer said in a joint statement Thursday. ” he said.
“Protecting our farmland and food supply requires a whole-of-government approach, and we will continue to work with affected government agencies, relevant commissions, and leaders to maintain strong oversight. , we will continue to identify legislative measures to address the findings of the GAO report,” they said. Added.
Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-Pennsylvania) speaks at the Capitol on May 30, 2023. (Mandel Gann/AFP via Getty Images)
In February 2023, officials in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Rejected proposal from Chinese company The corn mill received significant local opposition due to concerns about its proximity to U.S. Air Force bases in the area. Chinese-funded Fufeng Group was able to purchase 300 acres of land in the area, but the local government refused construction permits, effectively canceling the project.
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Andrew Hunter said ahead of the Grand Forks City Council decision that the project would pose a “significant threat” to national security, but that the Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) has no jurisdiction over the matter. He concluded that. CFIUS is an interagency task force; Ministry of Finance and is tasked with screening certain foreign investments that may pose a national security threat.
Nearly 200 Democrats join Republicans to block China from buying rural land
Additionally, a subsidiary of Chinese green energy company Goshon Hitech purchased 270 acres of land, including agricultural land, in Michigan's Green Charter Township in August. The land, which will be used to build an electric vehicle battery parts factory, is located within 90 miles of a military armory and 100 miles from Camp Grayling, the nation's largest National Guard training facility.
Similar to the Fufeng Group decision, CFIUS ruled in April 2023 that Gotion's Michigan plans were not covered transactions.
“The process for reporting and tracking foreign-owned farmland is complex and regulated by a 46-year-old law that relies on self-reporting by foreign buyers and sellers of U.S. farmland,” a USDA spokesperson told Fox. He told News Digital. “To meet its obligations under the law, the Department of Agriculture collects information from more than 3,000 counties and county-equivalent counties in the United States, each with a county clerk and recorder’s office or no county clerk at all. We provide information to over 50 different state systems.”
“GAO's recommendations will require changes by Congress, starting with changes to data collection mandates down to the county level, as well as funding needed to increase staff and modernize processes,” they wrote. Stated. “Any system for tracking land purchases and ownership would be complex and expensive, creating potential risks to producer privacy, farmland prices, and the profits of individual U.S. sellers.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Meanwhile, the report coincidentally was released just hours after Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met with China's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tang Renjian.
“I look forward to further exchange and cooperation as we continue to build on our relationship to expand and improve market access opportunities for American farmers and ranchers in China, an important agricultural export market,” Vilsack said.
