“The Chinese Communist Party’s land buildup near our most critical military and government facilities poses a grave threat to our national security. The Protect Our Bases Act would help safeguard our nation and fight back against Communist China’s spying on American soil.”
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today joined Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and 10 colleagues in introducing the Protect Our Bases Act, which would strengthen the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ (CFIUS) ability to review foreign land purchases near sensitive military, intelligence and national laboratory sites by requiring member agencies to annually update and review their lists of these sites.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s land buildup near our most critical military and government facilities poses a grave threat to our national security. The Protect Our Bases Act would help safeguard our nation and fight back against Communist China’s spying on American soil,” said Kennedy.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to infiltrate and surveil all parts of the U.S. national security apparatus requires vigilance from our national security agencies. This legislation will enhance the review of foreign real estate transactions near critical national security installations, helping ensure CFIUS has the information it needs to protect our homeland and keep our nation safe,” said Scott.
Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) also cosponsored the bill.
Background:
In 2022, Fufeng Group, a Chinese company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, announced it would purchase land near Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.
CFIUS determined that it could not evaluate the transaction for national security risks because the Department of Defense had not listed the base as a sensitive area for national security purposes.
Although the City of Grand Forks ultimately blocked the transaction, this incident demonstrated a serious flaw in the review process of foreign land purchases.
The Protect Our Bases Act would:
require agencies represented on CFIUS to provide CFIUS with records of the military, intelligence and national laboratory facilities that should be considered sensitive areas for national security purposes annually.
require CFIUS to submit an annual report to Congress certifying the completion of these reviews and detailing the accuracy of its real estate listings.
Full text of the Protect Our Bases Act is available here.
