Costa Agriculture Security Bill Passed Senate

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representatives Jim Costa (CA-21), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), and Rick Crawford (AR-01) led the Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support and will now be included in the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). Senator Rounds (R-SD) and Tester (D-MT) led the NDAA amendment in the Senate.

The Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act will protect our national security by prohibiting foreign adversaries from purchasing or controlling U.S. agricultural land and businesses. Our foreign adversaries, specifically Communist China, are purchasing U.S. agricultural land to undermine our food security and gain access to our sensitive military installations. The inclusion of the PASS Act into the NDAA will ensure that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is involved in reviewing the foreign acquisition of American agricultural land and businesses and blacklists our foreign adversaries from controlling U.S. agricultural land.

“Food is a national security issue, and we need to take steps to protect American farmland,” said Congressman Costa. “The PASS Act will safeguard our food supply chain and ensure American agriculture is operated by American businesses.”

The Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act:

• Prohibits China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from purchasing U.S. agricultural land and agricultural companies.

• Adds the Secretary of Agriculture as a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to consider agriculture needs when making determinations affecting our national security.

• Requires the President to submit a report to Congress on any waiver granted to a prohibited country.

Next, the Senate will work to pass the NDAA, and the bill will be reconciled with the House-passed NDAA. 

A copy of the amendment text is available HERE.