Proximity to military bases raises concerns about national security and domestic food security.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report last month regarding a pattern of Chinese companies purchasing U.S. farmland near domestic military bases, causing U.S. legislators to grow increasingly concerned about the development.
Reviewing data compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the GAO found that the department’s data on foreign owners does not track exactly who owns what lands in the U.S. While Chinese-owned companies have accumulated 349,442 acres of farmland, less than 1% of all land owned by foreign entities, the USDA currently has no way of tracking purchases close to U.S. governmental locations or if the companies purchasing the land have ties to the Chinese government.
“Growing foreign ownership of U.S. farmland, particularly by China, poses a direct threat to our food security and national security,” Representatives Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania and James Comer of Kentucky said in a joint statement following the GAO’s report. The GAO recommended certain changes to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act to amend this lack of information.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For USDA officials as they assess the need for detailed tracking of foreign owners of U.S. lands.
- For Congressmen Comer and Thompson as they raise awareness about related national security and food security concerns.
Sources: UPI, Department of Agriculture
