Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, has made cracking down on Chinese ownership of American farmland a cornerstone of his political message.
Federal campaign records, however, show that his campaign accepted tens of thousands of dollars from political action committees tied to Chinese-owned agribusiness giants, the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday.
Feenstra, now a leading candidate for Iowa governor, has repeatedly warned that foreign ownership of U.S. farmland — particularly by companies linked to China — poses serious economic and national security risks.
He has specifically raised concerns about land purchases near U.S. military installations and has called for tougher federal oversight of foreign acquisitions.
But Federal Election Commission filings show that between 2020 and 2024, Feenstra's campaign accepted more than $20,000 from PACs affiliated with Syngenta and Smithfield Foods, the Examiner reported.
Syngenta is owned by Chinese state-controlled Sinochem and operates seed and agricultural research businesses in the United States.
Smithfield Foods has been owned since 2013 by Hong Kong-based WH Group, which has extensive ties to mainland China and controls significant U.S. agricultural assets, including farmland.
Chinese ownership of farmland in the U.S. has drawn increasing scrutiny from lawmakers at both the federal and state levels amid concerns about food security, supply chains, and proximity to sensitive military sites.
Feenstra, who represents a heavily agricultural district in northwest Iowa, has sponsored legislation including the bipartisan FARMLAND Act, which would increase federal review of large foreign land purchases and strengthen protections against acquisitions by what he has called "foreign adversaries."
Last year, Feenstra wrote on social media that he had "led the charge to ban China from buying American farmland" and pledged that, as governor, he would "keep China out of rural Iowa and away from our farms."
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