{"id":2573113,"date":"2026-02-24T16:01:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T21:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congressman-takes-cash-from-chinese-entities-buying-farms-after-criticizing-them\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T16:07:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T21:07:28","slug":"congressman-takes-cash-from-chinese-entities-buying-farms-after-criticizing-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congressman-takes-cash-from-chinese-entities-buying-farms-after-criticizing-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Congressman takes cash from Chinese entities buying farms after criticizing them"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcongressman-takes-cash-from-chinese-entities-buying-farms-after-criticizing-them%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2573113&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece examines Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra\u2019s stance on Chinese ownership of American farmland and contrasts it with his campaign funding from firms tied to China.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Feenstra has made opposing Chinese purchases of U.S. farmland a central issue of his political career, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-orders-release-of-trump-white-house-visitor-logs-to-jan-6-committee\/\" title=\"Biden Orders Release of Trump White House Visitor Logs to Jan. 6 Committee\">citing national security<\/a> and rural protection concerns. He sponsored a 2023 amendment to bar China from buying farmland suitable for ethanol and biodiesel production and published op-eds advocating defense of U.S.farmland.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Federal Election Commission records show Feenstra\u2019s congressional campaign received more than $20,000 from political action committees controlled by two Chinese-linked companies that own notable U.S.farmland: Syngenta and Smithfield Foods, between 2020 and 2024.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Syngenta and smithfield Foods have Chinese connections: Syngenta was acquired in 2017 by the state-owned China National Chemical Corporation and later folded into SinoChem; Smithfield Foods was bought in 2013 by WH Group, a Hong Kong-based firm whose top executives have CCP ties.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Feenstra introduced a 2025 bill to empower the committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review large foreign acquisitions of American farmland, saying the measure would protect farms from foreign adversaries, especially China. He has repeatedly touted farmland-security efforts on social media.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The report notes that U.S. agriculture data show Smithfield owned about 98,000 acres of U.S.farmland as of 2022, while Syngenta owned under 1,000 acres (mostly for research), with substantial holdings in Feenstra\u2019s district. The piece also mentions that a broader group of lawmakers receive contributions from these firms.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Feenstra\u2019s office did not provide a comment quoted in the piece.<\/p>\n<p>the article highlights a tension between Feenstra\u2019s anti-China farmland rhetoric and the campaign donations he has received from CCP-linked firms, set against the backdrop of actual ownership and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-indo-pacific-trade-agreement-could-further-strengthen-big-tech-monopolies-lawmakers-warn\/\" title=\"Biden&#039;s trade deal in Indo-Pacific may boost Big Tech monopolies, warn lawmakers.\">ongoing legislative efforts<\/a> to scrutinize foreign farmland purchases.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Iowa congressman took cash from Chinese companies buying American farmland<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2504686\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) has made opposing the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/3465763\/trump-administration-ban-chinese-purchase-us-farmland\/\">Chinese acquisition of American farmland<\/a>&nbsp;a cornerstone of his congressional career and has highligh<\/span>ted this position during his ongoing run for Iowa governor. However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-taking-millions-from-corporate-pacs-maloney-wants-big-corporate-money-out-of-politics\/\" title=\"After Taking Millions from Corporate PACs, Maloney Wants \u2018Big Corporate Money Out of Politics\u2019\">campaign finance records show<\/a> Feenstra was accepting contributions from political action committees controlled by Chinese companies that have purchased swaths of farmland in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Federal Election Commission records show that, between 2020 and 2024, committees belonging to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00693663&amp;contributor_name=C00363945\">Syngenta<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00693663&amp;contributor_name=Smithfield\">Smithfield Foods<\/a> wired over $20,000 to Feenstra&rsquo;s congressional campaign. Both Syngenta and Smithfield Foods have strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party and collectively control tens of thousands of acres of farmland across the U.S..<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4468331\/conservative-opposition-trump-drug-plan-bankrolled-pharmaceutical-industry\/\">Conservative opposition to Trump drug pricing plan partly bankrolled by pharmaceutical industry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4464506\/first-antifa-terrorism-trial-mistrial-need-know\/\">First antifa terrorism trial restarts following mistrial: What you need to know<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4464348\/conflict-of-interest-byron-donalds-financial-interest-bitcoin-pushes-pro-crypto-platform\/\">&#8216;Conflict of interest&#8217;: Byron Donalds takes financial interest in Bitcoin as he pushes pro-crypto platform<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Syngenta was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/world\/chemchina-clinches-landmark-43-billion-takeover-of-syngenta-idUSKBN1810CM\/\">acquired<\/a> in 2017 by the China National Chemical Corporation, a Chinese state-owned enterprise, and later <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.syngenta.com\/media\/media-releases\/2020\/launch-syngenta-group-creating-global-agtech-market-leader#:~:text=Under%20a%20single%20entity%2C%20it,US%2423%20billion%20in%202019.\">folded into<\/a> SinoChem, another firm owned by the Chinese government. <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Smithfield Foods, for its part, was purchased in 2013 by the Hong Kong-based WH Group, a firm whose&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2024\/01\/25\/chinese-communist-party-landowner-pork\/\">top executives<\/a>&nbsp;are CCP members with extensive ties to the Chinese government<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In Congress, I led the charge to ban China from buying American farmland,&rdquo; Feenstra <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RandyFeenstra\/status\/1983627158531768633?s=20\">wrote<\/a> on X in October 2025. &ldquo;We cannot let China buy up our land, especially near sensitive military bases. As Governor, I will keep China out of rural Iowa and away from our farms.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Feenstra has indeed taken many actions during his tenure on Capitol Hill to curb foreign acquisitions of American farmland.<\/p>\n<p>On March 30, 2023, for instance, the congressman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/feenstra.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/feenstra-votes-end-president-bidens-attacks-american-energy-production\">sponsored an amendment<\/a> to the Lower Energy Costs Act that would bar &ldquo;China from buying American farmland suitable for ethanol and biodiesel production.&rdquo; Just weeks later, he accepted a $5,000 donation from Syngenta&rsquo;s PAC, campaign finance records show.<\/p>\n<p>About a year later, in February 2024, Feenstra <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/iowatorch.com\/2024\/02\/16\/feenstra-my-work-to-protect-our-country-from-china\/\">penned<\/a> an op-ed in a local publication arguing that there is an &ldquo;urgent need to defend our farmland from our foreign adversaries&rdquo; in order to &ldquo;keep China at bay.&rdquo; Two weeks earlier, the FEC records show he accepted another $5,000 from Syngenta.<\/p>\n<p>Syngenta&rsquo;s PAC <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/syngentathrive.com\/articles\/farm-operations\/todays-ag-policy-agenda\/#:~:text=Syngenta%20is%20committed%20to%20advancing,as%20of%20early%20December%202021.\">boasts <\/a>of being &ldquo;on the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >front lines advocating policy outcomes<\/a> that will favorably impact individuals in the [agriculture] industry,&rdquo; funding members of Congress who &ldquo;promote the ag industry&rsquo;s Freedom to Operate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, listens to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speak during a fundraising picnic, Saturday, May 13, 2023, in Sioux Center, Iowa. (AP Photo\/Charlie Neibergall)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Most recently, Feenstra <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/feenstra.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/feenstra-leads-legislation-review-foreign-purchases-american-farmland-and\">introduced a bill<\/a> in March 2025 that would authorize the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review large acquisitions of American farmland made by foreign entities, a move he said would &ldquo;protect our farms and agricultural production from our foreign adversaries, especially China.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Since launching his gubernatorial campaign, Feenstra has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RandyFeenstra\/status\/1990553739867107747?s=20\">posted<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RandyFeenstra\/status\/1998491981496955340?s=20\">multiple times<\/a> on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RandyFeenstra\/status\/1983627158531768633?s=20\">social media<\/a> about his efforts to curb Chinese purchases of U.S. farmland.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.agweb.com\/news\/policy\/politics\/usda-cracks-down-foreign-owned-farmland-elevate-american-agriculture-nationa\">reported<\/a> that Smithfield Foods owned 97,975 acres of U.S. farmland as of 2022, whereas Syngenta controls <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.agriculture.com\/what-does-the-farmland-security-plan-mean-for-foreign-owned-businesses-like-syngenta-11798244\">fewer than 1,000 acres<\/a>, a number that has been <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/talkbusiness.net\/2025\/05\/chinese-owned-syngenta-sells-ag-land-in-craighead-county\/\">dwindling<\/a> following <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/arkansas-orders-chinese-owned-seed-producer-syngenta-sell-us-farmland-2023-10-17\/\">pressure<\/a> from Republican public officials.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While Syngenta&rsquo;s American farmland holdings are relatively modest, being primarily used for research and development, a significant portion of them are right in Feenstra&rsquo;s backyard. Boone County, Iowa, which is in Feenstra&rsquo;s congressional district, is home to more than 200 acres of agricultural land and roughly 70 acres of industrial land owned by the Chinese firm, county records <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1OEk1FVIjoxdJaGg6JU_28T-jV1B-EEvgVp4cdN4uJKo\/edit?usp=sharing\">show<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Pork produced by Smithfield Foods <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2024\/03\/01\/american-pork-ending-up-bellies-chinese-soldiers\/\">reportedly<\/a> made its way to Shuanghui Investment and Development Co., a Chinese company that operates a food stockpile center for China&rsquo;s armed forces. The Trump administration, meanwhile, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/trump-administration-says-sinochem-others-backed-by-chinese-military-2020-08-28\/\">accused<\/a> SinoChem, Syngenta&rsquo;s owner, of being backed by the Chinese military in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Feenstra isn&rsquo;t alone in taking campaign contributions from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/committee\/C00363945\/\">Syngenta<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/committee\/C00359075\/\">Smithfield Foods<\/a>. The duo of Chinese-owned companies showers members of Congress with hundreds of thousands of dollars every election cycle, seemingly focusing their efforts on members who represent areas with strong agricultural economies. Campaign finance records <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/iecdbblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net\/reports-prod\/SWGA51419_DR2_Summary_01-20-2026T23.00.30.888.pdf\">show<\/a> that Feenstra is using his congressional war chest to bankroll his gubernatorial campaign.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4416749\/byron-donalds-took-large-donations-ccp-linked-firm-despite-china-criticism\/\"><strong>BYRON DONALDS TOOK LARGE DONATIONS FROM CCP-LINKED FIRM DESPITE CRITICISM OF CHINA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Corporate PACs are typically funded by employee donations, while decisions on how to distribute campaign checks are made by company leadership.<\/p>\n<p>Feenstra&rsquo;s office referred the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>to the congressman&rsquo;s gubernatorial campaign, which did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Feenstra took PAC money from Chinese-owned ag firms<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":2573114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AP25298054556573.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[8773,4381,5894],"class_list":["post-2573113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-corruption","tag-ethics","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AP25298054556573.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2573113"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2573117,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573113\/revisions\/2573117"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2573114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2573113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2573113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2573113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}