U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Steve Daines (R-MT) recently cosponsored a Republican-led bill that would prevent foreign adversaries of the United States from purchasing American land near sensitive sites.
The senators on Oct. 18 introduced the Protect Our Bases Act of 2023, S. 3077, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and three other GOP original cosponsors.
“Protecting American land is critical to maintaining our national security,” Sen. Rounds said on Oct. 26. “Our near-peer adversaries, like China, only wish to gain advantage and opportunities to surveil our nation’s capabilities and resources. I am pleased to join Ranking Member Scott on this legislation to make our homeland more secure.”
If enacted, S. 3077 would ensure the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) could 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, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
“As President Biden’s weakness on the world stage has emboldened our adversaries, we must take action to protect the United States from potential national security threats,” said Sen. Daines. “Purchasing land around sensitive intelligence sites and national labs gives foreign nations increased ability to spy on the U.S. — it must be stopped.”
The Fufeng Group, a Chinese company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, in 2022 announced it would buy land near Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, according to the summary.
At the time, CFIUS determined that it could not evaluate the transaction for national security risks because the U.S. Department of Defense had not listed the base as a sensitive site for national security purposes.
While the City of Grand Forks ultimately blocked the transaction, the incident highlighted a major flaw in the review process of foreign land purchases, states the summary.
Specifically, S. 3077 would require agencies represented on CFIUS to provide updated records of the military, intelligence, and national laboratory facilities that should be sensitive sites for national security purposes to CFIUS on an annual basis.
Additionally, the measure would require CFIUS to submit an annual report to Congress certifying the completion of such reviews and the accuracy of its real estate listings, the summary says.