Both Alabama senators recently helped introduce legislation that would help ensure the United States' complete food security and future independence from foreign adversaries, particularly China.

U.S. Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt of Alabama each say the newly proposed AFIDA Improvements Act of 2024 is needed to collect more information on foreign ownership of U.S. farmland. thinking.

“We cannot allow our enemies to hold our food supply hostage,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Right now they are buying up more and more farmland to feed our people. We need to get ahead of this.”

“Our farms must continue to be American, and our farmers must continue to thrive and remain competitive.”

Senator Britt believes this bill is germane to improving our national security overall and our relationship with China in particular.

“Food security is national security. We must never forget the fact that the Chinese Communist Party poses the greatest geopolitical and national security threat, and everything they do is against us. “Hmm,” Britt said. “These bipartisan, common-sense bills will help ensure we have the right tools in place to protect American farmland from the Chinese Communist Party and other adversaries, and will protect hardworking families across the country for generations to come. We will continue to have a reliable food supply across the country.”

Related: Chinese-owned U.S. farmland on the verge of depletion

of new law We plan to update the Agriculture Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1987 (AFIDA) in response to recent legislation. Report from the Government Board of Audit (GAO) Reveals USDA is not fully equipped to fight The nefarious foreign ownership of American farmland by foreign adversaries.

under According to AFIDA, foreign persons who acquire, dispose of, or hold an interest in U.S. agricultural land must disclose those transactions to USDA.

If this law is enacted, it will specifically include the following:

• Streamline CFIUS Data Sharing: Requires USDA to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to govern data sharing between USDA and CFIUS member agencies within one year of enactment.
• Modernizing the AFIDA Handbook: Directs USDA to update its staff handbook for collecting AFIDA data within one year of enactment. This handbook was last updated in 2006.
• Better Implementation: Requires USDA to provide Congress with a timeline for meeting specific implementation benchmarks for the online AFIDA submission system and public database. Congress has required USDA to implement an online system by 2025, but GAO found that USDA “has not developed a timeline for creating an online submission process.” [or] This is a public database. ”
• Improved Data Verification and Oversight: Directs and enables USDA to take necessary actions to verify foreign ownership data collected under AFIDA.
• Identifying Suspected Nonfilers: Directs USDA to better utilize Farm Service Agency (FSA) data to identify individuals who are not illegally conducting transactions with foreign nationals under AFIDA.
• Collect data from everything Foreign investors: Require reporting for foreign nationals with minority ownership of farmland assets, such as through ownership hierarchies or shell companies.

Austin Shipley is a staff writer at Yellowhammer News.