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EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans are taking direct aim at actors tied to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) growing grip on American farmland.
In an exclusive to Fox News Digital, Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., said she will introduce a House version of Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s “Protecting Our Farms and Homes from China Act” Thursday morning.
The legislation is part of a growing GOP push to block the CCP from buying up U.S. farmland and homes.
“Prized American land is not for sale to our enemies,” Miller said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
HAWLEY MOVES TO BLOCK CHINA’S BUY-UP OF US FARMLAND AS TRUMP ADMIN SOUNDS ALARM
Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., stands in a harvested corn field with tractors. On Thursday, she will introduce legislation to stop Chinese land purchases in the U.S. (Office of Congresswoman Mary Miller)
“The Chinese Communist Party is the greatest threat to our national security, and their aggressive push to buy up our farmland and homes is a direct attack on our sovereignty. It’s long past time we take back control and put America’s food supply and communities back in American hands — where they belong,” she added.
The bill comes amid rising concerns over Beijing’s growing footprint in American markets and real estate.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Chinese entities currently own roughly 265,000 acres of American agricultural land. That number has set off alarm bells for lawmakers and voters alike.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MOVES DECISIVELY TO BLOCK CHINA FROM ‘WEAPONIZING’ AMERICAN FARMLAND
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced the bill’s Senate counterpart last week. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“For far too long, foreign adversaries have taken advantage of our farmland. While USDA doesn’t currently have the authority to prevent the purchase of farmland by foreign nationals, we are actively working to improve the accuracy of foreign-owned farmland reporting so that the public, Congress, and State governments have the relevant data needed to make informed policy decisions,” a USDA spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“This is just one of the many actions outlined in our recent National Farm Security Action Plan to defend the homeland.”
Miller’s bill is the companion to Hawley’s Senate version. The proposal would ban Chinese corporations and individuals affiliated with the CCP from acquiring or leasing any agricultural land in the U.S.
“China’s ownership of U.S. farmland poses a direct threat to American interests,” Hawley said. “We should never let our nation’s greatest adversary have access to our vital resources, including our housing supply. That’s why I’m reintroducing legislation to protect American assets from the CCP once and for all.”
It would also prohibit purchases of U.S. residential real estate by those same entities for two years, with an option for the president to extend the ban every two years. Entities that already hold such property would be required to divest within one year of the bill becoming law.
To enforce compliance, the legislation imposes steep civil fines: $100 per acre per day for illegal agricultural holdings, and $1,000 per day for residential real estate violations. Criminal penalties include up to five years in prison.
Land acquired in violation of the law would be subject to forfeiture and sold at public auction.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins outlines plan to tackle threats from China and other adversaries to American farmland. (Tom Williams/Getty)
The bill also nullifies non-compete agreements involving foreign agricultural employers and establishes compliance offices within the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce to oversee enforcement.
The attorney general would have the authority to seize assets and seek court orders to stop violations. Miller’s push aligns with President Donald Trump’s newly launched “National Farm Security Action Plan,” led by Trump officials including Brooke Rollins, Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem.
The plan is aimed at protecting U.S. food systems and farmland from what Trump has called “foreign exploitation.”
Miller’s bill will debut Thursday with a dozen Republican co-sponsors.
According to Miller’s office, those backing the legislation include Reps. Pat Harrigan, Ralph Norman, Paul Gosar, Bob Onder, Marlin Stutzman, Tim Burchett, Randy Weber, Tom Tiffany, Andy Harris, Tony Wied, Michael Rulli and Eli Crane.
The Senate version was introduced by Hawley last week. Like Miller’s House bill, it targets both farmland and residential properties, including homes, condos and land zoned for housing development.
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Since taking office in 2021, Miller has made foreign land ownership a focus of her work in Congress. In January 2022, she and Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, introduced the “National Security Moratorium on Foreign Purchases of U.S. Land.”
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