New GAO Report: Foreign Developers Own 40 Million Acres of U.S. Land Near Military Bases
US government officials failed to keep tabs on developers from China, Russia, Iran, and other American adversaries, who were allowed to purchase acreage near areas vital to nation’ security.
About a year ago, the US Air Force shot down plans for a North Dakota land deal involving a party with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
It appears no real lessons have been learned about land security issues by anyone in our federal government.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that at least 40 million acres of US farmland, pastures, and forests are now owned by foreign investors, which officials warn ‘may have consequences for national security.’
A new watchdog report found that foreign ownership of US land – including buyers from adversarial nations like China, Russia and Iran – has increased by 40 percent since 2016, with some plots near sensitive military facilities.
As well as espionage concerns, there is growing alarm about the integrity of America’s food supply chains.
….The new Congressional analysis has caused fury among Democrats and Republicans, who demanded the Biden Administration clamp down on purchases ‘from adversaries’ to shore up America’s defenses.
Democratic Senator Jon Tester said: ‘While we learn more about the specifics around this unfolding situation, it highlights the need for Congress to do more to protect American agricultural security and prevent our foreign adversaries from controlling our country’s food supply while also gaining access to land near sensitive military sites.’
Republican Representative Dan Newhouse also shared his outrage after GAO released its findings.
‘This report confirms one of our worst fears: that not only is the e United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) unable to answer the question of who owns what land and where, but that there is no plan by the department to internally reverse this dangerous flaw that affects our supply chain and economy,’ Newhouse said.
Foreign developers procured a significant portion of this acreage during large land transactions.
The amount of farm and forest land held by investors outside the U.S. totaled 43.4 million acres, an 8.5% increase from 2021 to 2022. Foreign investors now make up 3.4% of privately-held agricultural land and nearly 2% of all U.S. land, the USDA said Tuesday.
Large land purchases in three states accounted for 45% of the difference. Alabama and Michigan saw an uptick in forest land activity, while Colorado’s increase was mostly cropland and pasture.
It appears the government officials in charge of overseeing who is buying American property and where are failing to keep tabs on these purchases.
The report, which was requested by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the House Committee on Agriculture, said that the Department of Agriculture does “not share timely data on foreign investments in agricultural land,” and that the processes in place for sharing the data are complex and difficult to understand.
…The report listed several recommendations for the USDA to take to improve their reporting system, including establishing a more timely process to report foreign investments and updating the forms used to report the data.
“This report confirms one of our worst fears: that not only is the USDA unable to answer the question of who owns what land and where, but that there is no plan by the department to internally reverse this dangerous flaw that affects our supply chain and economy. Food security is national security, and we cannot allow foreign adversaries to influence our food supply while we stick our heads in the sand,” Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) said in response to the report’s release.
Many states are taking a page out of the Texas playbook and establishing more oversight procedures on land transactions, which is poised to continue through 2024.
Since its constitution was approved in 1890, [Mississippi] has had provisions restricting land ownership by “nonresident aliens,” the report noted. But the committee concluded current state law “lacks a clear, workable enforcement mechanism.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that foreign interests held some 757,000 acres of Mississippi’s agricultural land, about 2.5% of the total. [Mississippi’s commissioner of agriculture and commerce Andy] Gipson hopes the Republican-led legislature will stiffen the law in the upcoming session.
“I think the time is going to be right in 2024 for the legislature to tighten these laws up,” he said.
If the legislature acts, Mississippi will join a growing group of states seeking to ban or further restrict foreign ownership of farmland. Lawmakers are targeting nations considered hostile to U.S. interests, such as China and Russia, and looking for new enforcement measures. Many see Arkansas as leading the latter push; officials there invoked a new law in October that bans certain foreign owners and ordered a Chinese seed company to divest its land.
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Comments
The amount of farm and forest land held by investors outside the U.S. totaled 43.4 million acres . . .
To get an idea how large an area 43.4 million acres actually is consider the fact that the state of Iowa’s total area covers 36,014,720 acres. So foreigners own more acreage than comprises the state of Iowa.
And when those foreign interests decide to take all of that agricultural land out of production then the United States will see a shortage of food the likes of which has never occurred in this country before.
The Republic is dead! Long live the Republic?
This is contemptible farce, enabled by the vile, stupid, gullible and treasonous Dhimmi-crats.
While crime boss, dotard and demagogue, Biden, unfairly vilifies ~50% of the U.S. population as alleged enemies of the State for their temerity to reject Dhimmi-crat orthodoxies and the Dhimmi-crat agenda, the world’s malignant state actors (e.g., China, Iran, etc.) engage in increasingly brazen belligerence and subversive activities in the U.S. and abroad, enabled by the dim-witted Dhimmi-crats’ cluelessness, fecklessness, naivete and general stupidity.
Let’s make no mistake, this has been a wholly BIPARTISAN failure. A lot of this land has been purchased in deep red states and much of it has been purchased during the tenure of GOP presidents. We have way too many ‘conservative’ governors who will sell their soul – and America’s land – for the promise of future foreign ‘investment’ including foreign investment in their own PACs.
I would love to see a granular study on the purchases of this property and any correlating foreign contributions to special intererst PACs that are tied to the politicians who approved these sales.
Fair enough inasmuch as there is blame to go around on both sides. That said, establishing and maintaining national security policy is the responsibility of the U.S. federal government, and the tone needs to be set by the President, from on high, downwards, with appropriate vigilance. States are not supposed to be responsible for maintaining U.S. national security against foreign actors’ subversive activities, stateside. Certainly, the states can coordinate with and alert federal law enforcement agencies. But, the primary responsibility rests with the federal government and its agencies.
Too bad the FBI is so busy investigating Catholics.
Democratic Senator Jon Tester said: ‘While we learn more about the specifics around this unfolding situation, it highlights the need for Congress to do more to protect American agricultural security and prevent our foreign adversaries from controlling our country’s food supply while also gaining access to land near sensitive military sites.’
Uh huh. But we also have domestic actors who are buying up farm land at an ever increasing pace. Petiole like Bill Gates and others who buy this land, and also seek to decrease the population.
There will come a time when there will be a reckoning, and it won’t be a pretty sight for those people who believe they rule over us.
“Let them eat cake” is not a good rallying cry for WEF globalists.
“People,” not Petiole.
Bill Gates – 269,000 acres
Ted Turner – 2 million acres
Jeff Bezos – 420,000 acres
the word is allegedly and how many acres of this arable land is in production
In fairness, Ted Turner has bought and managed the land well, with ranching and bison repopulating
They’re ideal neighbors because they don’t complain about the noise.
Department of Agriculture: ” ‘ . . . on foreign investments in agricultural land,’ and that the processes in place for sharing the data are complex and difficult to understand.”
American People: “Try us.”
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One cannot be too cynical about the people employed by and engaged with the government of the United States of America in 2024. You just cannot.
Democrats are saying that another Trump presidency would be about revenge; it would not, it would be about ridding us of deadwood, incompetent, self aggrandizing bureaucrats and technocrats, and plain old fashioned wannabes, crooks, conspirators, and traitors.
“They don’t want to get rid of me, they’re after you, I’m just in the way.”
Donald Trump
Just “nationalize” those parcels of land, exactly as those countries would do to a US owner. They have no right to complain.