Senators Ricketts, Fetterman unite against China's quiet invasion of US farmland

EXCLUSIVE: Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts is starring the complaint with Democrat Sen. John Fetterman to codify oversight connected overseas countries buying American farmland.

The bipartisan Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure (AFIDA) Improvements Act seeks to instrumentality recommendations published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) successful January 2024, which recovered the AFIDA was ill-equipped to combat overseas ownership of American cultivation land. 

"Communist China is our top geopolitical threat," Ricketts told Fox News Digital successful an exclusive interview, adding, "This is simply a mode for america to amended the disclosure that's going connected with respect to the acquisition of this cultivation land, truthful we tin instrumentality different enactment if indispensable to marque definite we're not giving Communist China the accidental to bargain cultivation land."

The bill's connection comes arsenic 2 Chinese nationals – a University of Michigan post-doctoral probe fellow, Yunqing Jian, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology pupil Chengxuan Han – were held successful national custody aft they were accused of smuggling biologic materials into the United States.

RICKETTS, FETTERMAN TEAM UP FOR CRACKDOWN ON CHINA'S ATTEMPTS TO PURCHASE US FARMLAND

Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., projected bipartisan authorities to summation oversight connected overseas countries buying American farmland. (Getty Images)

The suspects person been charged with "smuggling a fungus that has been described arsenic a "potential agroterrorism weapon" into the heartland of America, wherever they seemingly intended to usage a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme," interm U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Jerome Gorgon said successful a statement. 

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The fungus causes a "head blight," described arsenic a illness of wheat, maize, atom and barley, and is liable for billions of dollars of economical losses passim the satellite each year, according to the Department of Justice. If ingested by humans, the substance tin origin vomiting, liver harm and "reproductive defects successful humans and livestock." 

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that the Trump medication is focused connected "keeping our homeland secure" done enhanced borderline screenings. 

"Protecting America’s nutrient proviso and nationalist information remains a apical priority. Last week’s smuggling effort by Chinese nationals of Fusarium graminearum, a unsafe crop-destroying fungus, posing a important bioterrorism threat, lone highlights this imperative to combat this threat," McLaughlin said. 

"That could perchance beryllium precise damaging to agriculture," Ricketts told Fox News Digital. "We besides cognize that Chinese nationals person been trying to bargain our biotechnology with respect to agriculture. They've besides been crashing gates of bases. Supposed Chinese tourists person been flying drones astir bases. Of course, the Chinese flew a surveillance balloon implicit our state erstwhile the Biden medication conscionable fto that happen."

Ricketts said China has been aggressively buying American agriculture, "which is wherefore we request to person a heightened consciousness of vigilance astir protecting our homeland."

The main entranceway to the Grand Forks Air Force Base adjacent Grand Forks, North Dakota, connected May 18, 2023. (Ben Brewer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Foreign investors ain implicit 40 cardinal acres of cultivation onshore successful the United States, and betwixt 2010 and 2021, Chinese ownership of American cultivation onshore accrued from 13,720 acres to 383,935 acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

"It's not conscionable astir the fig of acres that they own, but the information that they ain it astir Grand Forks Air Force Base successful North Dakota oregon Fort Liberty successful North Carolina. They're buying it astir delicate subject installations," Ricketts said. 

The bill, besides co-sponsored by Sens. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, John Cornyn of Texas, Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, requires AFIDA reporting for overseas persons holding much than 1% involvement successful American cultivation land.

The AFIDA Improvements Act aims to summation information-sharing betwixt the Committee connected Foreign Investment successful the United States and the USDA. It besides requires updates to the AFIDA's handbook and establishes a deadline for USDA to acceptable up an online AFIDA system. 

An aerial presumption of farmland successful California's cardinal valley. (iStock)

Based connected the GAO's recommendations, the measure seeks to update the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 to amended equip the USDA to combat overseas adversaries’ ownership of American cultivation land. 

"We are astatine the astir unsafe constituent successful our past close present since World War II," Ricketts said. "We person to beryllium investing successful our military. We person to beryllium supporting our friends astir the satellite that are pushing backmost connected these dictators. Communist China is 1 of them."

Additionally, the measure comes arsenic struggle successful the Middle East reaches a boiling constituent betwixt Iran and Israel, reigniting concerns astir nationalist security. Israel successfully coordinated attacks against Iran from wrong the country, and Ricketts pointed to Ukraine's occurrence successful targeting a Russian aerial base. 

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"What Ukraine was capable to bash against Russia with their cognition that destroyed immoderate of their strategical bombers, and they placed trucks with drones adjacent to an aerial basal and had those drones onslaught their squadrons. We could beryllium susceptible to the aforesaid happening if China did that here. They've owned farmland adjacent capable to our aerial bases to beryllium capable to motorboat a drone strike. That should beryllium precise concerning to us," Ricketts said. 

Ricketts added that American farmland should not beryllium a "tool that our adversaries, similar Communist China, tin usage to onslaught america from wrong our ain country."

There has been small question connected the measure since it was conscionable precocious introduced. That is mostly due to the fact that Senate Republicans are narrowly focused connected advancing Trump's "big, beauteous bill" up of a self-imposed July 4 deadline.

Fox News Digital's Julia Bonavita and Alex Miller contributed to this report.