Bill · S. 618· Senate(119-S-618)
Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 2/18/2025
- Last activity
- 2/18/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Sponsored by
- Tommy Tuberville
- Cosponsors
- - 2 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Protecting America's Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act of 2025" aims to stop people associated with specific foreign governments from buying or leasing agricultural land in the United States. It targets "covered persons" linked to Iran, North Korea, the People's Republic of China, or the Russian Federation. The bill prohibits these individuals from purchasing public or private agricultural land and restricts their participation in Department of Agriculture programs. It also updates the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 to include leases and security interests in reporting. Additionally, the Act mandates regular reports from the Secretary of Agriculture, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Government Accountability Office.
Yes· 3 of 9
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+5
The bill mandates the publication of human-readable and machine-readable datasets regarding agricultural land interests.
Would farmers be better off under this?+3
The bill protects agricultural land from acquisition by specific foreign governments, which may benefit domestic farming interests.
Would business owners be better off under this?+2
Domestic agricultural business owners may benefit from decreased competition from the targeted foreign entities.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Protection of Agricultural Land: The bill prohibits the purchase or lease of public and private agricultural land by persons associated with Iran, North Korea, China, or Russia (Section 3(a)).
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Increased Transparency: The Secretary of Agriculture is required to publish human-readable and machine-readable data sets regarding the purchase price and estimated values of interests in agricultural land (Section 5(c)).
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Enhanced Oversight: The bill requires regular reports from the Secretary of Agriculture, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Government Accountability Office to monitor risks, foreign influence, and enforcement effectiveness (Section 6).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Restrictions on Participation in Programs: Covered persons with ownership or leases of agricultural land may be prohibited from participating in Department of Agriculture programs (Section 4(a)).
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Strict Penalties and Liens: Violators of the land purchase or lease prohibitions are subject to penalties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and the Secretary may ensure a lien is placed on the agricultural land involved in a reporting violation (Section 3(c) and Section 5(b)).
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Increased Burden of Proof: To participate in certain Department of Agriculture programs, certain persons must submit proof of their status to the Secretary (Section 4(c)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Farmers+3Good For Business Owners+2Good For Rural Residents+2
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+5
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Small Business Support+2
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Rural Development+2
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves Cybersecurity Defense+1Improves International Alliances+1
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Affordable Housing+1
- 7/28/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 2/18/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Jim BanksRepublican · Indiana
David McCormickRepublican · Pennsylvania