In a sweeping move to safeguard America’s agricultural integrity and national security, the Trump administration has unveiled a comprehensive action plan to ban Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland and root out foreign influence in the agricultural sector.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, announced the launch of the National Farm Security Action Plan during a press conference on July 8.
The seven-point strategy aims to prohibit foreign adversaries–most notably the Chinese Communist Party–from acquiring American farmland, particularly near military installations. It introduces strict new transparency and enforcement mechanisms.
“Protecting America’s farms isn’t just about protecting our farmers. It’s also about national security,” Rollins declared. “U.S. farms are under threat–from criminals, from political adversaries, and from hostile regimes that view our way of life as a threat to their own.”
The plan mandates executive actions, coordination with Congress, and state partnerships to block direct and indirect farmland purchases by Chinese nationals and other “countries of concern.” Rollins, who also announced she will now serve on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), said the USDA is working with the Treasury Department to ensure close scrutiny of foreign agricultural transactions.
Defense Secretary Hegseth underscored the military dimension of the threat: “As someone charged with leading the Defense Department, I want to know who owns the land around our strategic bases. No longer can foreign adversaries assume we aren’t watching.”
