Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2025

House Bill

H.R. 4577

119th Congress

Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Jul 21, 2025

Primary Sponsor

H. Morgan Griffith

Representative

Republican

VA-9

Cosponsors

33

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Foreign Trade and International Finance

Summary

This bill aims to give the U.S. government more control over foreign purchases or leases of land and property near sensitive sites like military bases. It requires foreign entities from adversarial countries like China and Russia to get approval from a government committee before buying or renting certain types of real estate. The bill also allows the government to consider food security when reviewing these transactions.

Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce.

SponsorH. Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

Introduced7/21/2025

StatusReferred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and

ChamberHouse

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2025

This bill aims to give the U.S. government more control over foreign purchases or leases of land and property near sensitive sites like military bases. It requires foreign entities from adversarial countries like China and Russia to get approval from a governm

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This bill aims to give the U.S. government more control over foreign purchases or leases of land and property near sensitive sites like military bases. It requires foreign entities from adversarial countries like China and Russia to get approval from a government committee before buying or renting certain types of real estate. The bill also allows the government to consider food security when reviewing these transactions.

Bill Number: 4577
Sponsor: H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA)
Introduced: 7/21/2025
Status: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and
Policy Area: Foreign Trade and International Finance

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2025
Bill Number: 4577
Sponsor: H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA)
Status: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and
Introduced: 7/21/2025
Summary: This bill aims to give the U.S. government more control over foreign purchases or leases of land and property near sensitive sites like military bases. It requires foreign entities from adversarial countries like China and Russia to get approval from a government committee before buying or renting c

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill aims to give the U.S. government more control over foreign purchases or leases of land and property near sensitive sites like military bases. It requires foreign entities from adversarial countries like China and Russia to get approval from a government committee before buying or renting certain types of real estate. The bill also allows the government to consider food security when reviewing these transactions.

Last updated: 12/30/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Protecting U.S. Farmland and Sensitive Sites From Foreign Adversaries ActThis bill expands the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) related to agriculture and land transactions. (CFIUS reviews the national security implications of foreign investment in the United States.)Specifically, the bill requires parties to an elevated risk real estate transaction to submit a mandatory declaration to CFIUS. Generally, this requirement applies to a transaction for a purchase or lease of certain real estate (e.g., real estate that is in close proximity to a sensitive site, such as a military installation or airspace) by a foreign adversary entity (e.g., a foreign person subject to the jurisdiction of a foreign adversary, such as China or Russia).Additionally, the bill creates a presumption that an elevated risk real estate transaction presents a risk to national security that cannot be resolved through any agreement or condition unless CFIUS (1) determines, based on clear and convincing evidence, that the risk to national security of the transaction can be resolved in a manner other than by suspending or prohibiting the transaction; and (2) notifies Congress about this determination and its reasoning. The bill authorizes CFIUS to consider U.S. food security as a factor in its national security reviews. The bill also expands the membership of CFIUS to include the Secretary of Agriculture on all transactions related to the purchase of agriculture land, agriculture biotechnology, and any other transaction related to the agriculture industry in the United States.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Requires foreign entities from adversarial countries to get approval from a government committee (CFIUS) before buying or leasing land and property near sensitive sites like military bases
Creates a presumption that these transactions pose a national security risk, unless the government can prove otherwise
Expands CFIUS membership to include the Secretary of Agriculture for transactions related to agriculture land, biotechnology, and the agriculture industry
Allows the government to consider U.S. food security as a factor when reviewing foreign real estate transactions

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

If this bill becomes law, it would impact foreign entities, particularly those from countries like China and Russia, who want to purchase or lease land and property in the U.S. near sensitive sites. It could make these types of transactions more difficult and give the U.S. government more control over foreign investment in American real estate, especially land and property related to agriculture and food production.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Foreign Trade and International Finance

Related Subjects

Asia

China

Congressional oversight

Cuba

Europe

Farmland

Food supply, safety, and labeling

Homeland security

Iran

Latin America

+5 more

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

4577, 119th Congress (2025). "Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-4577