Zach Nunn reverses course on opposition of China buying U.S. farmland
U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) has previously claimed to oppose foreign investments in U.S. farmland. But he recently voted down an amendment to help the Department of Agriculture track these investments.
U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) has previously claimed to oppose foreign investments in U.S. farmland. But he recently voted down an amendment to help the Department of Agriculture track these investments.
Last March, Nunn posted a video on his YouTube channel titled “China Should Not Be Buying Our Farm Land.” The video shows a clip from a meeting of the House Committee on Agriculture from March 20, 2024, where Nunn iterated his desire for foreign countries like China to stop buying farmland in the United States and advocated for American regulation of the practice.
During his reelection campaign, Nunn also routinely promised to fight for Iowa farmers and the state economy. When Nunn was appointed to serve on the Committee combating Chinese Communist party Influence, he also pledged to “keep China accountable.”
“Since my first day in Congress, I’ve worked to hold China accountable, and that is exactly what the work on this Committee will do,” Nunn said in a statement from February. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to hold China accountable and ensure we have a long-term, thoughtful, and strategic plan to combat Chinese aggression.”
Despite his positions, Nunn did not support an amendment to bolster the Department of Agriculture’s ability to track foreign investments in U.S. farmland. This amendment was proposed by Rep. Josh Riley (D-NY), Nunn’s colleague on the House Committee on Agriculture. It would have added a provision to President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” to direct $35 million to an online portal that tracks farmland investments under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA).
“There is appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise obligated, $35,000,000 to the Secretary of Agriculture to complete development of an online filing portal for reports filed under the Agricultura Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, which shall include support for geospatial linkage and shall address historical files, including legal descriptions and the necessary work to digitize such files,” the text reads.
Nunn and all the Republican members of the House Agriculture committee voted against the amendment.
Nunn did not respond to a request to comment for this story.
Last November, Nunn narrowly won reelection in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District by 3.9 percentage points (15,784 votes). Iowa state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott (D) and House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst (D) have announced bids to challenge Nunn in 2026 as the race is currently designated as “Lean Republican” by Cook Political Report.
