Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) introduced a bipartisan bill on May 7 to transform how the federal government scrutinizes foreign land acquisitions, moving from a system of passive disclosure to one of active prevention.
“The Protecting U.S. Farmland and Sensitive Sites from Foreign Adversaries Act” seeks to secure American agricultural and technological interests by closing the legal gaps that currently allow adversarial entities to gain geographic proximity to critical infrastructure.
At the heart of the bill, the “Presumption of Unresolvability” clause stipulates that any land transaction involving a foreign adversary near a sensitive site is a threat that cannot be mitigated. This shift forces the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, to prove that a transaction is safe by “clear and convincing evidence” before it can proceed—a rigorous hurdle that prioritizes national security over private foreign investment, according to the bill….