R-ill. Rep. Mary Miller introduces House bill to stop China from acquiring U.S. farmland
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Exclusive: House Republicans targeted directly actors related to the CCP’s grip on American farmland.
R-ill. Rep. Mary Miller said in an exclusive to Fox News Digital that she will introduce Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s “Protect Our Farms and Houses from China Act “Protect Our Farms and Houses,” “Thursday Morning,” or HR 840, “Farms Saved American Farms from the Confronter Act. ”
The legislation is part of the GOP’s continuous push to prevent CCP from buying American farmland and homes.
“Precious American land is not sold to our enemies,” Miller said in a statement to Fox News’ digital numbers.
Hawley
R-ill. Rep. Mary Miller stood in a harvest corn field with tractors. On Thursday, she will introduce legislation to stop land purchases in China (Office of Councilwoman Mary Miller)
She added: “The Communist Party of China is the biggest threat to our national security and their active push to buy our farmland and homes is a direct attack on our sovereignty. It has been a long time since we have restored control and put American food supplies and communities back to the United States.”
The bill emerged from a focus on Beijing’s growing footprint in the U.S. market and real estate.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Chinese entities currently own approximately 265,000 acres of U.S. agricultural land. This number brings a wake-up call to lawmakers and voters.
Trump administration decisively stops China from “weaponizing” American farmland
R-Mo. Senator Josh Hawley introduced his Senate counterparts to the bill last week. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
“For too long, foreign opponents have taken advantage of our farmland. Although the USDA does not currently have the right to prevent foreign nationals from buying farmland, we are actively working to improve the accuracy of foreign-owned farmland reports so that the public, Congress and state governments have relevant data to make knowledgeable policy decisions,” a USDA spokesperson’s digital manifesto.
“This is just one of many actions that our recent National Farm Security Action Plan defends the homeland.”
Miller’s Bill closely tracks Hawley’s Senate version. The proposal will prohibit Chinese companies and individuals associated with CCP from obtaining or leasing any agricultural land in the United States
This will also ban these entities from purchasing U.S. residential real estate within two years and have the option to extend the ban every two years. An entity that already holds this property must be divested within one year after the bill becomes law.
To enforce compliance, the legislation imposes a steep civil fine: illegal agriculture possesses $100 per acre per day, and $1,000 per day for violations of residential real estate. Criminal penalties include up to five years in prison.
Land obtained for violation of the law will be confiscated and sold in a public auction.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins outlines plans to respond to threats from China and other rivals to U.S. farmland. (Tom Williams/Getty)
The bill also eliminates non-competitive agreements involving foreign agricultural employers and establishes compliant positions within the agriculture and trade sectors to monitor enforcement.
The Attorney General will have the power to seize assets and seek court orders to stop violations. Miller’s push is aligned with President Donald Trump’s newly launched National Farm Security Action Plan, which is included by Brooke Rollins, Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem.
The plan aims to protect the U.S. food system and farmland from what Trump calls “foreign exploitation.”
Miller’s bill will debut on Friday with more than a dozen Republican cosponsors.
According to Miller’s office, those who supported the legislation include Pat Harrigan, Ralph Norman, Paul Gosar, Bob Onder, Marlin Stutzman, Tim Burchett, Randy Weber, Tom Tiffany, Tom Tiffany, Andy Harris, Tony Harris, Tony Harris, Tony Wied, Michael Rulli and Eli Crane Crane).
The Senate edition was introduced by Hawley last week. Like Miller’s House Act, it targets farmland and residential properties, including homes, apartments and land for housing development.
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Since taking office in 2021, Miller has made foreign land ownership a priority in her work in Congress. In January 2022, she and R-Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert launched the “National Security of Purchasing American Land Abroad”.
Hawley’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News numbers.
