American soil should remain in American hands

Gov. Kim Reynolds in her Condition of the State address responded to two policy areas in which the federal government is failing. The first is immigration and the crisis at the southern border. The second is the growing threat from communist China. Regarding China, Reynolds is proposing legislation to strengthen Iowa’s laws against foreign ownership of farmland.

China is a growing power. From both an economic and national security standpoint, China represents the most dangerous threat to the United States. Although China has its own internal economic and political problems it is a growing and expanding its power. China is also trying to expand its presence across the globe, including establishing a foothold in the United States.

A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report documented that the federal government is failing to properly document and track foreign ownership of land. Specifically, the GAO report notes that the United States Department of Agriculture “has failed to consistently share timely data on foreign investments in U.S. agricultural land as required under the 1978 Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA).”

“This report confirms one of our worst fears: that not only is the USDA unable to answer the question of who owns what land and where, but that there is no plan by the department to internally reverse this dangerous flaw that affects our supply chain and economy,” stated Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash).

It is estimated that China owns 380,000 acres of land in the United States. Chinese ownership of farmland and other aspects of American agriculture should be alarming. This is especially true with recent efforts by Chinese interests to purchase ground near military bases.

Currently, “Iowa has some of the strongest laws in the country on foreign ownership of land,” Reynolds said.

Nevertheless, there are ways that state-level land ownership restrictions can be evaded by foreign “investors.” Iowa’s laws do a good job of ensuring Iowa farmland stays in the hands of domestic producers, but they should be strengthened. Other components of food production, like processing plants, could be acquired by foreign nations.

Reynolds is proposing new legislation to “further protect our farmland from foreign interests.” The objective of this legislation will be to “enhance reporting and enforcement, increase penalties, and provide more transparency to Iowans on what land is currently under foreign ownership.”

It is not just in agriculture and land ownership. For decades, the United States has been running massive trade deficits, especially with China. It is estimated that at least 4 million manufacturing jobs have been lost to China. Iowa is known as an agricultural state, but it manufacturing is a major pillar of the economy. Since 2001, it is estimated that Iowa has lost 33,714 jobs to China.

Americans should be concerned about the growing influence of China, especially in our own backyard. As Gov. Reynolds stated, “Let’s make sure that American soil remains in American hands.”

John Hendrickson is policy director of Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation.