WA lawmakers introduce bill to block China from purchasing U.S. farmland
By Terry Murry on Friday, February 3rd, 2023 in Columbia Basin News Featured Stories
WASHINGTON, District of Columbia – Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Spokane) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Sunnyside) introduced the Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People’s Republic of China Act on Thursday. It’s intent is to block China from purchasing American farmland.
Specifically, the bill would prohibit the purchase or private agricultural land in the United States by foreign nationals associated with the government of the People’s Republic of China. It would also ban the same associations from participating in any United States Department of Agriculture programs except food safety inspections.
According to the USDA, China’s American agricultural land holdings have increased more than tenfold in the last decade with China investing as much as $2 billion in American agricultural land ownership at the beginning of 2020.
Six states have laws banning foreign ownership of farmland. The bill introduced by McMorris Rodgers and Newhouse would expand this prohibition nationwide and help prevent restrictions from being circumvented by Chinese investors buying large U.S. corporations that own agricultural land. Hawaii, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Mississippi, Minnesota, and Iowa have already banned foreign ownership of farmland. A similar ban is being considered by other states.
