Much has been made of the fact that the new Consolidated Appropriations Act adds the Secretary of Agriculture as a “permanent” member of CFIUS. But that’s misleading; in fact, the Act says that the Agriculture Secretary can be included as a member of CFIUS on a “case by case basis.” Insights inside.
Well, that didn’t take long. Fresh on the heels of a GAO report about flawed data regarding foreign agricultural transactions in the U.S., a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders have proposed a bill that would improve the tracking of foreign investment in farmland. Details, draft inside.
According to a new report, U.S. data on foreign investments in agricultural land are outdated and incomplete. As a result, “CFIUS does not currently have regular and timely access” to the data for national security reviews. Details, the report, context, and recommendations are inside.
Five members of Congress have floated a bipartisan bill to protect national security by preventing foreign adversaries from taking control of U.S. agricultural land and businesses. We provide a wrap-up of the effort to date, and how the latest legislative proposal differs from other efforts.
A member of the Wyoming state legislature has proposed a bill that would ban foreign citizens and companies from owning agricultural land in the state. The move is the latest in a series of state actions that may run counter to the judgment of Congress. Details, and why it matters, are inside.
A group of Republican Congressional leaders has introduced legislation aimed at addressing the national-security threat of “foreign adversaries” acquiring U.S. agricultural land. The bill would expand the foreign-holding information reported to the U.S. government. Details, context, full bill inside.
Citing “inaccuracies” in foreign investment data collected by the Department of Agriculture, more than 100 U.S. House Republicans have asked the Government Accountability Office to study foreign investment in U.S. farmland, and its impact on national security. Details and the letter are inside.
Let’s just say we’ve seen this movie before. A Republican Senator has floated a bill that would add the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture as a permanent member of CFIUS, and would require that the Committee review agriculture real estate purchases. Details, and why this may be irrelevant, are inside.
Two weeks ago, we noted in our downloadable spreadsheet of CFIUS disclosures that the Committee was “apparently interested” in real-estate acquisitions by Fufeng Group in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Now, a group of U.S. Senators has crafted a letter making sure it’s a priority.
According to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, foreign individuals and entities now own nearly 3 percent of all privately held U.S. agricultural land. That number is up significantly over the last decade. Details, implications, contacts, and the relevance to CFIUS are inside.
Several U.S. Congressmen have floated a bill that would prohibit foreign nationals from purchasing land in the U.S. While acknowledging CFIUS has jurisdiction over certain real estate deals, they say “more action is needed” to make the rules more strict. Details and context are inside.
Fresh on the heels of the FARM Act in early October, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has floated yet another bill that would give the Secretary of Agriculture permanent representation on CFIUS. This particular bill has additional twists. Details and context are inside.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) has introduced legislation that would put Chinese “greenfield” initiatives under the purview of CFIUS. Kennedy, who floated a similar bill last year, says the move will prevent Beijing from “gaming our system.” Details, the legislation, and more are inside.
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and Representatives has floated yet another bill that would put the Secretary of Agriculture on CFIUS, and add agriculture-specific criteria to foreign investment reviews. Complete details, context, and a wrap-up of related prior efforts are inside.
Two U.S. Senators have sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, renewing a request to have CFIUS review the transactions of Brazilian meatpacking conglomerate JBS. Details, prior attempts, context, and the actual letter are inside.
For the second, no, third time, Congressional leaders have introduced legislation that would put the Secretary of Agriculture on CFIUS. Inside is an update on the legislation, the actual bill, the prior attempts, and insights on why it matters (or not).
A state rep. in America’s heartland has proposed a bill that would study foreign ownership of agricultural land. Citing shortcomings of federal regulations, the resolution raises interesting jurisdictional questions for CFIUS. Details, the bill, context, expert insights, contacts, and more are inside.
Following up on a House bill introduced last month, two U.S. Senators have introduced legislation that would formally place the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture as a member of CFIUS. Details, the full bill, the companion House bill, and recent historical context is inside.
Two Congressional leaders, from Ohio and Oklahoma, have proposed a bill that would place the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on CFIUS. Details, the bill, context, contacts, and more are inside.