Sen. Lankford Introduces Bill to Stop China From Buying US Farmland

The Security and Oversight of International Landholdings (SOIL) Act is a bipartisan legislation reintroduced by U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) to enhance oversight and increase transparency of foreign entities’ acquisitions of agricultural land that jeopardize national security interests. The proposed act would close the “gap in federal law” that permits foreign organizations to execute purchases of agricultural land. Lankford presented the SOIL Act to his Senate counterparts on Wednesday to discourage illegal investments in America’s farming activities. (Source)

According to Lankford, more than 1 million acres of Oklahoma farmland have been purchased by foreign entities, including China, and are utilized for illegal drug cultivation. The proposed legislation mandates the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to assess land purchases by particular foreign entities, prohibits federal assistance for such purchases, and also widens disclosure agreements with respect to land purchases by foreign entities. The SOIL Act was first introduced in 2022, and the co-sponsors include Sens. Jim Risch (R-Ind.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). Lankford stated that the SOIL Act is required to prevent criminal organizations from using foreign nations to purchase land and businesses across the state. He further added that lack of proper oversight has allowed transnational criminal organizations to team up with the Chinese to buy land and start illegal activities resulting in widespread destruction of families and communities for their profit.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) previously introduced a proposal to prohibit Chinese purchase of U.S. land, which was opposed by her Democratic colleagues in February. In Texas, state Sen. Lois Kolhorst (R) proposed Senate Bill 147 to limit foreign purchases of Texas agricultural land, which failed to move forward. A similar scenario has unfolded across other states too.