Rep. Dusty Johnson to Newsmax: Bill Stops China's Farmland Purchases

Rep. Dusty Johnson, who is leading on a bill aimed at prohibiting the Chinese Communist Party and those affiliated with it from buying American farmland or processing companies said Monday on Newsmax that the legislation is a "no brainer" that must be passed to keep the Chinese from having too much control over the U.S. supply chains.

"China has increased its purchases of farmland in this country and elsewhere by 1,000%," the South Dakota Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report." "In the last 10 years, they have purchased 1,300 agricultural processing facilities, at a value of more than $35 billion. They are trying to get control over our food supply chain. We cannot let them do that."

The bill comes after the announcement last year from Fufeng USA, the American subsidiary of a Chinese animal feed component manufacturer, announced plans for a corn mill plant near Grand Forks, North Dakota, sparking a community backlash, according to a report in The New York Times.

The group bought 370 acres for its proposed $700 million facility, but the issue with many in North Dakota is that the proposed site is located just 12 miles north of the Grand Forks Air Force Base, noted Johnson.

"It's controversial because China, they are not our friends," said Johnson. "I mean, this is a country who has as part of its strategic long-term goals, knocking America down. They want to displace us as the world's only superpower. The head of the CIA has said that the greatest threat to American data is Chinese espionage, and when we let them get that close to American military installations we are making a mistake."

Johnson on Monday also discussed President Joe Biden's plan for cutting up to $20,000 in student loan debts and said it is a "terrible idea."

"A basic American value is when you borrow money, you pay it back," he said. "This is a redistribution of wealth. It is not shocking to me that Democrats don't like this … you can have a household making $250,000 a year and they're still getting their $10,000 handout from Joe Biden."

The plan is also bad for the nation's long-term financial security, said Johnson, as it takes away $300 billion in government funding over the next decade.

"This is incredibly expensive and ultimately it's not going to reduce inflation," Johnson said. "It is going to make it worse. It's not going to drive down the cost of higher education. It's going to make it worse."

Johnson further on Monday discussed the raid on former President Donald Trump's estate and called for people on both sides of the aisle to refrain from rushing to conclusions.

"An FBI raid of that kind is unprecedented, maybe not unprecedented, but close to it," said Johnson. "It is highly unusual, and if this is just about document management once all of the information has come out and we've gathered all the data. We need to make a decision … but we've got to give more time for these facts to come out."

He also said he has been disappointed with leaks from the documents that were seized, including claims that nuclear codes had been resolved.

"We all need to agree that these kinds of investigations should be done to the greatest extent possible free from political influence and these targeted leagues," said Johnson. "If the president had the nuclear codes that are going to be a problem, but if he didn't have the nuclear codes at Mar-a-Lago, and somebody leaked that in a targeted way, we need to hold that person accountable. And frankly, if it's a law enforcement agent, I cannot see why we would let them keep their job if they're going to lie to the American people."

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