A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that there were major flaws in the government’s tracking of foreign land purchases, exposing the United States to national security risks.
The report, which was requested by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the House Committee on Agriculture, said that the Department of Agriculture does “not share timely data on foreign investments in agricultural land,” and that the processes in place for sharing the data are complex and difficult to understand.
Lawmakers have raised concerns about Chinese ownership of American farmland, especially land that is near to U.S. military installations.
Foreign investment in American land increased in 2021 to about 40 million acres, according to USDA estimates. “These investments may have consequences for U.S. national security. For example, there may be foreign…
