Washington, May 8, 2026 — Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of the Select Committee on China, introduced the Protecting US Farmland and Sensitive Sites from Foreign Adversaries Act, a bill aimed at preventing China and other foreign adversaries from acquiring American farmland and real estate near sensitive national security sites, according to a committee press release.
The legislation is presented as a measure to strengthen national and food security by closing perceived gaps in federal oversight of foreign land purchases. The release says foreign adversaries have in some cases been able to buy property near military bases, critical infrastructure and parts of the food supply chain with minimal or no federal review, creating risks to infrastructure, military readiness and supply stability.
Moolenaar said the bill would close loopholes that, in his view, allow foreign adversaries to purchase strategically located land. The proposal would presumptively bar such purchases from countries identified as adversaries and give federal authorities tools to stop problematic transactions before they proceed. The measure is described as bipartisan and aligned with prior administration policies focused on protecting U.S. investments and farmland.
Advocates cited in the release, including Adam Savit of the American Foreign Policy Initiative and a former USDA national security adviser, urged treating food security as a matter of national security and giving the government authority to block risky deals rather than rely on mitigation after a purchase.
Key provisions would expand the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) authority to review real estate transactions involving designated foreign adversaries—listed in the bill as including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea—and to classify purchases of U.S. farmland and other critical properties as raising unacceptable national security risks, with narrow exceptions.
The bill also creates a category of “elevated risk real estate transactions” requiring review for acquisitions touching farmland, ports, telecommunications infrastructure and properties near military bases and intelligence facilities. It would bring food security and agricultural biotechnology concerns formally into CFIUS reviews and give the Secretary of Agriculture a central role in assessing such transactions.
The proposal, circulated by the committee, seeks to reinforce state efforts and provide a federal backstop to safeguard critical infrastructure and communities. The story is based on a syndicated press release and published as received.
