Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act of 2025

This bill, known as the "Protecting America's Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act of 2025," aims to safeguard U.S. agricultural resources by restricting foreign ownership and influence. It specifically prohibits "covered persons" from purchasing or leasing any public or private agricultural land within the United States. A covered person is defined as an entity owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction of the governments of Iran, North Korea, the People's Republic of China, or the Russian Federation , excluding U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The President is directed to enforce this prohibition, with significant penalties for violations. The legislation also bars these covered persons from participating in most Department of Agriculture programs if they hold ownership or lease agricultural land in the U.S., with exceptions for food safety and health programs. The bill substantially amends the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA) to improve transparency and enforcement. These changes include expanding the definition of "interest" to encompass security interests and leases, increasing civil penalties, and mandating liens on land for unpaid penalties. AFIDA is further updated to require the publication of comprehensive, publicly accessible data sets detailing foreign interests in agricultural land, including purchase prices and updated values. Finally, the bill mandates biennial reports from the Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of National Intelligence to Congress, assessing the risks and benefits of foreign ownership and analyzing foreign malign influence. The Government Accountability Office will also review AFIDA's effectiveness and recommend necessary changes.