U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to increase oversight and transparency of agricultural land purchases in the United States that threaten national security.
The bill, dubbed the Security and Oversight of International Landholdings (SOIL) Act,
introduced on Wednesday, would close a “gap in federal law” on foreign entities’ ability to purchase agricultural land, Lankford told his colleagues in the Senate. (
pdf)
The proposed legislation would deter criminal investments in U.S. agriculture by requiring the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review land purchases by certain foreign entities, banning federal assistance for such land purchases, and broadening disclosure agreements on land purchases by foreign entities, according to a
press release on Thursday.
“Our state overwhelmingly rejected ‘legalizing’ recreational marijuana earlier this month because we have seen firsthand how foreign criminal organizations exploit vulnerabilities in our law to destroy our families and communities for their profit,” Lankford said in a
statement.“Every region of Oklahoma is concerned about foreign nationals buying up farmland. Our loose oversight has allowed transnational criminal organizations to partner with Chinese nationals to buy land and businesses throughout Oklahoma. This is a national security issue and a human rights issue. We need to know who is buying our land, how they are using it and if any criminal activity is occurring.”
The SOIL Act was first introduced in 2022. Sens. Jim Risch (R-Ind.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) are co-sponsors of the proposed legislation.
According to Lankford, more than a million acres of Oklahoma farmland are owned by foreign entities, including China, and the land is used for farming illegal drugs.
“Just in the last year, China has doubled the number of acres that has in the United States,” Lankford said on Wednesday during an appearance on
Fox Business’s Mornings with Maria. “They’re buying up hundreds of thousands of acres across the country, and they’re moving in criminal operations into the country.”
Sounding the Alarms
Similar warnings have been issued by GOP lawmakers across the country in recent months, but previous attempts to put stops in place have failed.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said in February that Democrats squashed her proposal to ban Chinese acquisitions of U.S. land.
“China should not be allowed to purchase farmland next to military installations,” Blackburn wrote in a
tweet on Feb. 15 that drew nearly 2 million views. “I introduced legislation banning just that. Can you guess who voted against it? All my Democrat colleagues.”
In Texas, state Sen. Lois Kolhorst (R) introduced Senate Bill 147 to ban citizens and entities from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from buying “real property” in Texas.
The bill drew backlash from those who feared the law would affect those “who fled these regimes to live the American dream and seek a home in Texas.”
In March, a
substitute version of the bill was introduced that made “crystal clear that prohibitions do not apply to United States citizens and lawful permanent residents, including dual citizens,” according to Kolkhorst.
Senate Bill 147 includes an “enforcement mechanism” for removing prohibited entities’ ownership of real estate titles. The bill (
pdf) was left pending in committee earlier this month.
Late last year, Ross Kennedy, founder of Fortis Analysis, a U.S.-based logistics and supply chain advisory, warned of China’s efforts to sabotage U.S. national security by buying up farmland nationwide.
“They’re going to exploit every loophole … every means with their arsenal of tactics and tricks and strategies, to undermine the national security of the United States,” Kennedy said,
The Epoch Times reported.
