This week, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., offered a proposal “to prohibit any foreign person who is a foreign adversary, state sponsor of terrorism, anyone controlled or owed or affiliated by them, any agent or instrumentalities of a foreign adversary, to purchase public or private real estate located in the United States.”

Steube’s office offered the reasons why he introduced the “Protecting Our Land Act.”

“The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act requires foreign entities to disclose their purchases of American agricultural land. USDA’s 2020 Foreign Holdings of U.S. Agricultural Land report shows foreign individuals held an interest in 37.6 million acres of U.S. farmland. Current reporting shows that foreign-owned agricultural acreage has nearly doubled in the past decade. However, the data that has been collected is incomplete and inaccurate,” the congressman’s office noted.

“Nefarious foreign acquisition of our U.S. land jeopardizes everything from our national security to our food security,” said Steube. “Why in the world would we want China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, and other adversarial countries to purchase thousands of acres in strategic U.S. locations? I am introducing commonsense legislation to block these individuals from land purchases. My bill will curb malicious foreign activities on American soil and make America safer.”

The bill was sent to the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. So far, there are no House co-sponsors and no companion measure over in the U.S. Senate.

Originally from Jacksonville, Kevin Derby is the editor of Florida Daily and covers politics across Florida. Reach Kevin at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com

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