GOP Bill Targets Foreign Buyers Near Military Bases

Donald Trump’s return to the White House also brought a renewed focus for Senate Republicans to limit potential foreign adversaries from getting too close to United States military bases.

Sen. Ted Cruz reintroduced a bill that would require federal review before entities tied to China, Russia, Iran or North Korea can buy land within 100 miles of a military installation, the Military Times reported.

The efforts to pass the Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act didn’t go anywhere when Democrats controlled the Senate, but that’s no longer the case. Republicans are hopping on board, including Tom Cotton, a co-sponsor of the bill.

“Foreign adversaries are exploiting loopholes to acquire land near our military bases and training routes, jeopardizing the safety of our troops and the integrity of our operations,” Cruz said.

Under the law, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States would have more authority to review foreign investment deals in the country by entities tied to the aforementioned nations. CFIUS has the authority to review real estate purchases by foreign entities within a few miles of a military base, but the legislation would expand that range to 100 miles, or within 50 miles of training ranges and special operations areas.

Chinese real estate activity is of particular concern to lawmakers. As of the start of last year, entities linked to the Chinese government owned 278,000 acres of farmland in the country, according to the Department of Agriculture, many of those sites situated not far from military bases.

While Cruz wants the bill to be considered quickly, there’s no timetable for hearings or committee votes on the legislation.

This is far from the first effort to restrict foreign nations from real estate activity in the country, particularly Chinese nationals. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis enacted a law that limits land ownership for Chinese nationals domiciled in China and not lawful U.S. residents, with additional restrictions placed on agricultural land ownership for individuals from seven countries.

Last year, a federal appeals court halted enforcement of part of the law.

— Holden Walter-Warner