Peace Garden News

Senator John Hoeven, alongside Senators Tommy Tuberville and John Fetterman, has reintroduced the Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act. This bipartisan initiative seeks to permanently include the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The committee is responsible for overseeing foreign investments and acquisitions of American companies but currently does not directly address agricultural industry needs.

"Our foreign adversaries are buying up American farmland and threatening American food security," stated Senator Hoeven. He emphasized that stronger supervision of foreign investments affecting the U.S. food supply is necessary, noting that adding the Agriculture Secretary to CFIUS is a logical step towards protecting essential food infrastructure.

Senator Tuberville highlighted concerns over increased purchases of American farmland by foreign entities, stressing that "food security is national security." He called for prioritizing oversight of foreign investment in U.S. food supply chains, particularly from countries like Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran.

Senator Fetterman pointed out Pennsylvania's approximately 50,000 farms face challenges staying competitive without also contending with foreign ownership. "America’s farms are critical infrastructure," he said, supporting the inclusion of the Agriculture Secretary in CFIUS as common sense.

The FARM Act has garnered support from several other senators: Roger Marshall, Rick Scott, Eric Schmitt, Kevin Cramer, Katie Britt, Marsha Blackburn, Deb Fischer, Steve Daines, Cynthia Lummis, and Tim Sheehy have all joined in reintroducing this legislation.