Americans cannot afford to have their food supply under the control of foreigners, according to a Missouri state representative who supports legislation that would ban the ownership of real estate statewide by certain countries.
“We have to keep control of some of these things that are vital to the interest of all Americans,” said Rep. Mike Henderson (R-St. Francois County). “It's a lot like we need to make some of our computer chips here in America. We need to make a lot of our prescription drugs here in America. America cannot afford to have our prescription drugs that could endanger the lives of our seniors in the hands of foreign countries.”
Henderson was reacting to news reports that Senate Joint Resolution 41, if approved, would create a Joint Committee on State Security and ban land purchases in Missouri by China, Russia, Iran, and North Korean companies.
Once the resolution is approved by both houses of the Missouri legislature and signed by Gov. Parson, SJR 41 would then be placed on the ballot for voters to decide in 2024.
Currently, foreign companies are permitted to control up to only 1% of the state’s farmland, according to media reports.
“My understanding is that some of the investors from China more and more have come in and attempted to buy up property, not only in Missouri but other places in the United States,” Henderson told the St. Louis Record. “In Missouri, we're trying to take care of Missouri and say that we don't approve of that.”
Senate Joint Resolution 41 was introduced by Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) and is currently pending in the Senate.
“There is a worry that we're having too much of our farm property owned, especially by some of the countries that we see as not looking out for our best interests,” Henderson said in an interview. “These bills are trying to say that we’re not going to let them come in here and get control of our food supply.”
On Feb. 9, Rowden also unveiled the Select Committee on the Protection of Missouri Assets From Foreign Adversaries, which is establishing policy initiatives around the safety of Missouri land from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
"This will include implementing a blacklist of countries, including China, North Korea, and others who will never be able to buy MO farmland again," Rowden said on Twitter. "We will also examine any and all steps that should be taken to protect Missourians’ data from the CCP."
House Republicans in Washington, D.C. are calling it a national security issue.
As previously reported in the Washington Free Beacon, forty members of Congress are backing a bill that would prohibit the acquisition of public or private farmland, including agricultural ranches, nationwide by nonresident aliens, foreign businesses, or any agent, trustee, or fiduciary associated with the People’s Republic of China.