Saratoga, NY - Today, Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR) reintroduced the Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act that will protect our national security by prohibiting foreign adversaries from purchasing or controlling U.S. agricultural land and businesses.
Our foreign adversaries, specifically Communist China, are purchasing U.S. agricultural land to undermine our food security and gain access to our sensitive military installations. The PASS Act will ensure that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is involved in reviewing foreign acquisition of American agricultural land and businesses and blacklists our foreign adversaries from controlling U.S. agricultural land.
“Food security is national security, and I am proud to reintroduce this legislation that will stand up against our foreign adversaries as they attempt to assert control over our agriculture industry,” stated Congresswoman Stefanik. “The United States cannot allow malign ownership bids of American assets by Communist China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea to undermine the efforts of our farmers, whose hard work feeds and fuels our communities. We cannot allow our adversaries to control land near our military installations and we cannot cede any ownership of our food supply to those who are actively working against our security interests.”
“U.S. agriculture is a critical industry with real and significant impacts on our national security,” said Rep. Rick Crawford (AR-01). “The potential counterintelligence threat to our country from adversaries owning U.S. farmland or agricultural companies is immeasurable. Americans would never be allowed to purchase farmland in China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, so their citizens should not be permitted to do so here. I am proud to co-lead the PASS Act again this Congress, with my House Intelligence Committee colleague, Rep. Stefanik. This legislation takes the basic and essential step of preventing foreign adversaries from buying up U.S. farmland for nefarious purposes.”
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