As part of a campaign sweeping across many red states, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a staunch Republican, has taken action against and raised an outcry regarding purchases of American farmland by People’s Republic of China-connected entities and persons, decrying such as a major threat to Americans and American farmers.
For reference, many red states have finally started taking action against ownership of American farmland, mineral resources, and residential housing by both individuals and entities that are connected to foreign governments that are hostile to America, most notably and important of which is the Chinese Communist Party.
So, to push back against CCP and PRC ownership of key American resources, Sen. Blackburn introduced an act blocks CCP-connected entities, amongst others, from buying American land. Her bill is similar to the one passed by Texas, which accomplishes much the same thing at the state level.
Describing the bill in an August 1 press release, Sen. Blackburn’s office said, “The Prohibition of Agricultural Land for Foreign Adversaries Act would help identify vulnerabilities, close backdoor influence channels, and protect American land and institutions from adversarial exploitation. This effort builds on the Trump administration’s executive action barring farmland sales to buyers linked to China and other foreign adversaries.”
Speaking about the matter in a statement issued as part of the press release, Sen. Blackburn began by noting how absurd it was that China could enrich itself at America’s expense, saying, “The United States cannot allow foreign adversaries like Communist China to quietly embed themselves in our communities and near our critical infrastructure.”
Continuing, the senator noted that the issue is all the worse because the Chinese are buying land near American military facilities, saying, “From Sister City agreements that legitimize hostile regimes, to opaque real estate purchases that demand greater transparency, to buying up farmland near our military bases, we have a responsibility to identify and address these threats. This legislative package shines a light on these activities and will help protect American property and sovereignty.”
Later, the press release noted the CCP owns over 370,000 acres of American farmland, and so “The Prohibition of Agricultural Land for Foreign Adversaries Act would prohibit nonresident aliens, foreign businesses, and agents, trustees, or fiduciaries associated with an adversarial country from purchasing agricultural land in the U.S.”
"*" indicates required fields
Sen. Blackburn has also taken to X to post about the matter of CCP-connected ownership of American farmland and how it harms American farmers. In one such post, for example, the Tennesee senator wrote, “American farmland is for American farmers, not Communist China.”
In another post, she argued that American farmers are under attack from CCP-connected entities and so need to be protected by their government. She said, “American farmland is for American farmers. I spoke with Stewart County community leaders about the importance of protecting our agricultural industry from the Chinese Communist Party’s control.”
Many commenters agreed with her, and even argued that the bill should be taken further. One such commenter, for example, said, “No foreign gov’t or company owned, whole or in part, by a foreign gov’t should be allowed to own any land in the US that is not granted to them exclusively for diplomatic purposes. Enemy or ally. Makes no difference.”
Watch Lee Zeldin comment on the matter here: