AUGUST 17, 2024:
Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) this week (Aug. 16, 2024) sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging the agency to streamline its process for electronic submission and retention of Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) disclosures. In the letter, the senators note alleged inaccuracies in information publicly posted by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the problems that arise when this information is inaccurate.
Currently, these disclosures are completed by hand on physical paper. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 mandated the establishment of a streamlined process for electronic submission and retention of AFIDA disclosures, including an internet database.
“The current practice of manual data entry, including the re-typing of paper-filed reports into FSA systems, can lead to the publication of problematic and inaccurate information,” wrote the senators. “We’re told there have been instances where energy developers have been incorrectly identified as having ownership interests from sanctioned nations, when in reality the investment originates from U.S. allies. If true, such errors not only create confusion but also undermine the credibility of the data published by the FSA.”
Rounds, Ernst and Fetterman were joined on the letter by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), James Risch (R-Idaho) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).
To read the full letter, click here.
AUGUST 14, 2024:
Senate Ag Committee members Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) are asking the USDA to improve its process for foreign-owned farmland disclosures. The letter follows alleged inaccuracies posted online by the Farm Service Agency under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act.
“It’s essential for the USDA to ensure that the information published on its website is accurate and reliable,” the senators say. “Inaccurate information can have significant implications for various stakeholders and erodes public trust in the integrity of the reporting process.”
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the current practice of manual entry, including the re-typing of paper-filed reports into FSA systems, can lead to the publication of problematic and inaccurate information. “We’re told there have been instances where energy developers have been incorrectly identified as having ownership interest from sanctioned nations when, in reality, the investment behind the company originates from U.S. allies,” says Vilsack.
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