Bill would give CFIUS power to block foreign land buys near sensitive US sites
In committeeH.R. 8700Latest action
Sponsor: John R. Moolenaar · Representative · MI
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Official title: Protecting U.S. Farmland and Sensitive Sites From Foreign Adversaries Act
119th Congress
Topics: Jobs & the economy
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govIn plain words
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HR 8700 requires automatic national security review of land purchases by buyers tied to China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or Venezuela.
60-second read · 4 questions answered below
What does this do?
HR 8700 expands the authority of CFIUS to automatically investigate land purchases near sensitive sites including military bases, airports, seaports, power plants, data centers, NASA facilities, research labs, and farmland. Any such deal involving buyers connected to China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or Venezuela would be automatically presumed a national security risk and likely blocked unless the government can prove otherwise with strong evidence. Parties involved in a flagged deal must file a formal notice with the government before the transaction is completed.
Who does it affect?
The bill most directly affects foreign buyers connected to those six countries who seek to purchase land in the United States, particularly near military, infrastructure, or agricultural sites. American landowners who wish to sell to such buyers are also affected, as those transactions would face mandatory government review and likely rejection.
Why does it matter?
Adding the Secretary of Agriculture as an official voice in reviews means farmland and agricultural technology deals face an additional layer of scrutiny. The bill also requires the government to consider how foreign purchases of agricultural land could affect the long-term food supply in the United States.
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Where does it stand?
- IntroducedMay 7, 2026
- House committeeYou are here · May 7, 2026
- House vote
- Senate
- The president's desk
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the president.
Latest action: — Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.