First appeared on FOX: Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse has introduced a bill that would ban companies and individuals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party from buying property adjacent to federal land.
Rep. Newhouse (R-Wash.), who serves on the House Select Committee on China, is scheduled to introduce the bill Tuesday night.
The “Keep American Land Off Communist China Act” has 20 co-sponsors, including the support of committee chairman Rep. John Moulenaar (R-Mich.).
The bill, obtained by Fox News Digital, would “prohibit certain businesses and individuals from purchasing property adjacent to federal land in the United States for other purposes.”
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The flag is raised for a meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong in Beijing on April 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The companies and individuals that will be blocked will be those related to companies or individuals in which the government of the People’s Republic of China “directly or indirectly owns, through contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, 25 percent or more of the shares of the company.”
The Act defines federal lands as those lands owned by the United States, including Indian reservations, that are under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to lands administered by the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Defense, and the Forest Service.
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“The Chinese Communist Party is on our doorstep. It’s best to not let them in,” Newhouse told Fox News Digital.
“We are closely watching increasing attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to undermine our nation’s institutions,” Newhouse told Fox News Digital.
“From spying on sensitive national security sites to buying up American farmland, it’s clear we are vulnerable to their malign activities,” Newhouse said.
Rep. Dan Newhouse leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club on Dec. 1, 2021. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“This bill will strengthen our domestic defense and protect vital Union territory from foreign powers seeking to further their already dangerous influence on the world stage,” he added.
The bill was proposed as part of efforts to strengthen security on U.S. soil, especially around military installations across the country.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which is made up of several federal national security agencies, is tasked with reviewing certain acquisitions and real estate transactions by foreign individuals and entities.
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CFIUS last year expanded its jurisdiction to include military facilities following warnings that purchases of military land by individuals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party could pose national security risks.
When CFIUS considers real estate transactions involving non-U.S. persons, it is required by law to consider the risks of potential intelligence gathering at military installations, which could expose national security activities and increase the risk of foreign surveillance.
