Senators Push USDA to Update Collection of Foreign Investment Data
A bipartisan group of 14 senators urged USDA this week to modernize its process for collecting information on foreign investment in U.S. farmland.
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In a letter led by Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the senators said they’re concerned the current process may be creating inaccuracies because it involves using paper forms to collect data and manually entering the information into Farm Service Agency (FSA) systems.
“We’re told there have been instances where energy developers have been incorrectly identified as having ownership interests from sanctioned nations, when in reality the investment originates from U.S. allies,” the senators wrote. “If true, such errors not only create confusion but also undermine the credibility of the data published by the FSA.”
The letter asks USDA to explain the steps it is taking to identify, correct and prevent such inaccuracies. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, which President Joe Biden signed into law in March, allocates a $1 million increase to USDA's Farm Production and Conservation Business Center to improve the reporting system for foreign-owned land (see 2403040061).
The Government Accountability Office in January raised similar concerns about USDA's foreign investment data (see 2401190069). The GAO said that while the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 requires USDA to adopt an online submission process and public database by the end of 2025, the department does not expect to meet that deadline, partly because it has not received the necessary funding.