Rep. Gill’s LAND Act Prohibits Foreign Adversaries from Buying Farmland

Congressman Brandon Gill (TX-26) introduced his fourth bill of the 119th Congress, the Land and National Defense (LAND) Act, a bill that would essentially ban China and Iran from buying American agricultural land.

“If a foreign country prohibits Americans from purchasing land in their country, we should do the same to them. The Chinese Communist Party is one of the biggest offenders. The CCP has no place on our nation’s soil.” said Congressman Gill. “My Land and National Defense Act is a commonsense solution to keep our adversaries from owning our farmland.” 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that foreign persons and entities hold an interest in 45.85 million acres of U.S. agricultural land. Current federal law imposes almost no restrictions on the amount of private U.S. agricultural land that can be owned by foreigners, including citizens of hostile foreign nations. However, American citizens are restricted from owning agricultural land in many countries – including China.

Rep. Gill’s legislation imposes the same restrictions and limitations Americans are subject to when buying agricultural land in other countries to foreign purchasers of U.S. agricultural land. This would establish reciprocity in buying agricultural land for citizens and companies.

"The Land and National Defense Act is exactly what America needs. For too long, we've stood by while foreign powers—especially the Chinese Communist Party—buy up our precious farmland without restriction, while American citizens can't do the same in their countries. These barriers are intentional, and put Americans at a disadvantage when making purchases abroad. Rep. Gill's bill finally levels the playing field and puts America first by ensuring that foreign entities face the same restrictions Americans do in their home countries. This legislation is critical to safeguarding our country's security," said Aiden Buzzetti, President of The Bull Moose Project.

“Land security is national security. I applaud Congressman Brandon Gill for making this a priority in Washington. We must protect our agricultural land from foreign adversaries who don’t have America’s best interests at heart. We can’t buy land in China—so why on earth would we let them control our food production here? The answer is simple: We shouldn’t, and we won’t,” said Sid Miller, Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture.