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S. 618 · Where this bill is now

In committee

Introduced in the Senate, Feb 18, 2025

What this bill does

In plain words · AI-written from the official summary

Blocks foreign adversaries from buying U.S. farmland

This bill prevents people and companies linked to the governments of Iran, North Korea, China, or Russia from buying or leasing agricultural land in the United States. It applies to both public land owned by the federal government and private farmland. People who break this rule face civil and criminal penalties, and they're also blocked from participating in most Department of Agriculture programs.

How it affects you

If you own or operate farmland, this bill doesn't directly change anything about your own land or operations. The rule mainly prevents foreign governments from gaining control of agricultural property. The bill does require better reporting on who owns or leases farmland in America, which is tracked by the government but may not affect most people directly.

Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Feb 18, 2025)

Protecting America's Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act of 2025

This bill prohibits persons associated with the governments of Iran, North Korea, China, or Russia from purchasing or leasing agricultural land in the United States.

Specifically, the President must prohibit any person (individual or entity) owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of these foreign governments from purchasing or leasing (1) public agricultural land that is owned by the United States and administered by a federal department or agency, or (2) private agricultural land that is located in the United States.

A person that violates or attempts to violate this prohibition is subject to civil and criminal penalties. This prohibition does not require a person that owns or leases agricultural land as of the date of this bill's enactment to sell that land.

Further, the President must prohibit a person associated with these foreign governments and who leases, or who has full or partial ownership of, agricultural land in the United States from participating in Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. Exceptions are included to allow for participation in USDA programs related to food safety, the health and labor safety of individuals, or certain reporting and disclosure requirements.

The bill excludes U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents from these restrictions.

The bill also amends the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA) to require reporting on security interests and leases.

Finally, the Government Accountability Office must submit a report to Congress on AFIDA.

Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.

119th Congress
1st Session
S. 618

A BILL

Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act of 2025

In the SenateNo vote yet

Sponsor: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) · Introduced Feb 18, 2025 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text

Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Feb 18, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.”

Sections

Sections · 6