Peace Garden News

Senators John Hoeven and Mike Rounds have reintroduced the Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act. This legislation aims to prohibit individuals and entities from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from purchasing agricultural land and businesses near U.S. military installations or sensitive sites.

"Foreign adversaries are buying up U.S. farmland which is a threat not only to our food security, but our national security," said Senator Hoeven. "Our legislation will prevent these bad actors from purchasing farmland and agricultural businesses near our strategic assets to better protect our nation from those with malign intentions."

The bill has garnered support from Majority Leader John Thune, along with Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Cynthia Lummis.

In February 2025, President Trump issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum aimed at promoting foreign investment while safeguarding national security interests. The memorandum specifically addressed concerns about China acquiring American assets.

The PASS Act proposes several measures:

- It bans the purchase of agricultural land by entities controlled by North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran near military installations.

- It designates the Secretary of Agriculture as a voting member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for transactions involving agricultural land or biotechnology.

- It allows the U.S. Department of Agriculture to refer cases to CFIUS if there are potential national security concerns related to agriculture land transactions.