Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2025
Summary
HB1576, titled the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2025, would amend the Defense Production Act of 1950 to expand federal review of foreign investments involving U.S. agriculture. The bill adds the Secretary of Agriculture as a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for covered transactions involving agricultural land, agricultural biotechnology, and parts of the agriculture industry such as transportation, storage, and processing.
The bill also creates a special process for certain “reportable agricultural land transactions.” When the Secretary of Agriculture has reason to believe a transaction may be a covered transaction and it involves acquisition of agricultural land by a foreign person from China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran, the Committee would have to determine whether the deal is covered and whether to review it or take other action. These requirements would end for a country if it is removed from the federal foreign adversary list.
Impact
The bill would amend Section 721 of the Defense Production Act, which governs CFIUS review of foreign acquisitions affecting national security. It would broaden the federal government’s role in scrutinizing foreign purchases of agricultural land and related agricultural assets, and would specifically elevate the Department of Agriculture’s role in that process. It also ties the new review requirements to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978, creating an additional federal reporting-and-review pathway for certain land transactions involving designated foreign adversaries.
Sentiment
The available context shows the bill was introduced with broad Republican sponsorship and then referred to committee, with no recorded votes or committee transcript debate provided. Based on the bill’s title and sponsors, the measure appears to reflect a generally supportive posture toward tighter national-security screening of foreign involvement in U.S. farmland and agricultural infrastructure. There is no evidence in the provided materials of formal opposition or amendment activity, though the subject matter is likely to draw interest from agriculture, trade, and national security stakeholders.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the scope of federal intervention in agricultural land sales and whether foreign investment in agriculture should be treated as a national-security issue under CFIUS. Supporters would favor heightened scrutiny of acquisitions by entities tied to China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran, while critics may argue the bill could chill legitimate investment, add regulatory burden, or create uncertainty for farmland transactions. Another potential issue is the bill’s targeted treatment of specific countries and the expanded role of the Secretary of Agriculture in a process traditionally centered on national security and finance agencies.
Protecting America's Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act of 2025This bill prohibits persons associated with the governments of Iran, North Korea, China, or Russia from purchasing or leasing agricultural land in the United States.Specifically, the President must prohibit any person (individual or entity) owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of these foreign governments from purchasing or leasing (1) public agricultural land that is owned by the United States and administered by a federal department or agency, or (2) private agricultural land that is located in the United States.A person that violates or attempts to violate this prohibition is subject to civil and criminal penalties. This prohibition does not require a person that owns or leases agricultural land as of the date of this bill's enactment to sell that land.Further, the President must prohibit a person associated with these foreign governments and who leases, or who has full or partial ownership of, agricultural land in the United States from participating in Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. Exceptions are included to allow for participation in USDA programs related to food safety, the health and labor safety of individuals, or certain reporting and disclosure requirements.The bill excludes U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents from these restrictions.The bill also amends the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA) to require reporting on security interests and leases.Finally, the Government Accountability Office must submit a report to Congress on AFIDA.
Further providing for purchase of agricultural conservation easements, for Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Fund and for Land Trust Reimbursement Program.