This proposal aims to protect U.S. farms and food supply from national security risks. It adds the Secretary of Agriculture to the federal committee that checks certain foreign investments for national security concerns whenever a deal involves farmland, agricultural biotech, or key farm activities like transport, storage, or processing. That committee (CFIUS) is the group that reviews foreign investments that could pose national security risks.

It also requires CFIUS to look at certain farmland purchases that the Department of Agriculture reports. If USDA flags a deal, CFIUS must decide if it’s the kind of deal they can review and whether to start a national security review or take other action. This especially applies when the buyer is from China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran, and the deal must be reported to USDA under existing law. These requirements for a country end if it’s removed from the federal “foreign adversaries” list.

Key points

• Who is affected: Foreign buyers from China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran; U.S. farmland and agriculture-related businesses (including biotech, transport, storage, and processing).
• What changes: The Agriculture Secretary joins the review committee for ag-related deals, and the committee must decide whether to review certain USDA-reported farmland purchases for national security risks.
• When it stops: These special checks no longer apply to a country if it is removed from the federal “foreign adversaries” list.