BOZEMAN, Mont. – The U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries” Act last week, aiming to give the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States the ability to review agricultural land purchases by certain countries.
Senator Jon Tester is advocating for the Senate to consider two bills he is co-sponsoring, which go further by completely prohibiting anyone associated with the governments of China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran from purchasing or leasing agricultural land in the United States. One of these bills is called the “Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security” Act, or
PASS Act
.
Tester emphasized the risks these purchases pose to both food supply and national security.
“You allow these people to get a foot in the door buying land. Then they have opportunities to do surveillance on people. There’s surveillance on facilities, and it puts our national security at risk. So, I think this is something we should quit playing politics with,” Tester said.
When Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2024, the Senate adopted the PASS Act as an amendment. However, it was removed when the bill moved to the House of Representatives.
The issue gained attention in Montana last year when a Chinese spy balloon moved over the state, including Malmstrom Air Force Base. In response, the Montana legislature passed Senate Bill 203, which Governor Greg Gianforte signed into law. This bill prohibits foreign adversarial governments from buying, leasing, or using agricultural land or any critical infrastructure like water, energy or telecommunications.
Senate Pro Tempore Ken Bogner, the bill’s sponsor, highlighted the need for such actions at the federal level.
Senator Tester acknowledged the House legislation passed last week as a step forward and stated he would support it in the Senate. However, he believes that outright prohibition is necessary for real progress.
