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1. Regulating Foreign Ownership Of U.S. Land and Critical Assets

Safeguarding National Security, Food Security, and Economic Sovereignty​

The increasing acquisition of U.S. land—particularly agricultural land—and critical infrastructure assets by foreign entities, including state-owned enterprises and investors from potentially adversarial nations, poses significant risks to our national security, food security, and economic sovereignty. While foreign investment can bring benefits, unchecked foreign ownership, especially in strategic sectors or sensitive locations, requires robust scrutiny and regulation to protect the public interest.

Our platform calls for comprehensive federal action to increase transparency, strengthen oversight, and implement necessary restrictions on foreign ownership of U.S. land and critical assets. We must ensure that foreign investment aligns with national interests and does not create vulnerabilities or undermine domestic control over essential resources.

Key Strategies for Regulating Foreign Ownership:​

  1. Enhanced Transparency and Reporting:

    • Strengthen and rigorously enforce the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA), requiring timely and detailed reporting of all foreign purchases of U.S. agricultural land.
    • Expand disclosure requirements to cover foreign investments in other critical sectors, such as energy infrastructure, water resources, and technology companies involved in national security.
    • Create a publicly accessible federal database tracking foreign ownership of land and critical assets.

  2. Strengthened National Security Reviews (CFIUS):

    • Expand the jurisdiction and resources of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review a broader range of foreign land purchases and investments, particularly those near sensitive military installations, critical infrastructure sites, or involving significant agricultural holdings.
    • Lower the threshold for triggering mandatory CFIUS review for land acquisitions by entities associated with countries of concern.
    • Ensure CFIUS reviews explicitly consider food security implications alongside traditional national security risks.

  3. Restrictions on Ownership by Adversarial Nations:

    • Prohibit or place strict limitations on the purchase of U.S. agricultural land and critical infrastructure assets by foreign governments, state-owned enterprises, or individuals/entities associated with nations deemed adversarial or posing a significant national security risk to the United States.

  4. Protecting Agricultural Land and Food Security:

    • Implement policies to prioritize domestic ownership of farmland and limit large-scale acquisitions by foreign investors that could consolidate control over food production or drive up land prices beyond the reach of American farmers.
    • Consider caps on the total acreage of agricultural land that can be foreign-owned, either nationally or on a state-by-state basis.

  5. Federal-State Coordination:

    • Encourage and support states in enacting their own laws restricting or regulating foreign ownership of land, ensuring these laws are consistent with federal standards and do not discriminate unfairly based on national origin. Foster coordination between federal and state oversight efforts.

Conclusion:​

Protecting U.S. land and critical assets from undue foreign control is essential for safeguarding our national security, ensuring a stable food supply, and maintaining economic sovereignty. While welcoming beneficial foreign investment, we must implement strong transparency measures, robust national security reviews, and targeted restrictions to prevent ownership patterns that could harm the national interest. A vigilant and proactive approach is necessary to manage the risks associated with foreign ownership in an increasingly complex global landscape.