U.S. Senator Katie Britt: Senate Should Pass Protections for American Military, National Security Sites
Calls for Senate passage of Protect Our Bases Act following release of final Treasury Department rule
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 4, 2024 – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) today commended a final rule from the U.S. Department of Treasury while renewing her call for the Senate to pass the Protect Our Bases Act to thoroughly expand protections for America’s military, intelligence, and national laboratory sites.
The finalized Treasury rule will require America’s foreign investment watchdog—the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)—to review foreign real estate transactions within a 1-mile radius of 40 military sites and within a 100-mile radius of 27 others. In Alabama, covered sites include Anniston Army Depot, Fort Novosel, Maxwell Air Force Base, and Redstone Arsenal. The rule, which was proposed in July and issued Friday in close coordination with the Department of Defense, mirrors some of the language from the Protect Our Bases Act.
With Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Senator Britt introduced the Protect our Bases Act. This legislation would provide greater protections than Treasury’s rule and, upon passage, would codify those protections. The Protect Our Bases Act would ensure CFIUS can 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.
“Our national security is paramount, and that requires safeguarding our military installations and other sensitive sites from adversaries, like Communist China, Iran, and Russia,”said Senator Britt. “Treasury’s rule is a step in the right direction, but the Senate must expeditiously pass the Protect Our Bases Act to strengthen long-term protections. At a time when we live in an increasingly dangerous world with adversaries ready to take advantage of any American weakness, there is no time to waste.”
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 it could not evaluate the transaction for national security risks because the Department of Defense had not listed the base as a sensitive site for national security purposes. Although the City of Grand Forks ultimately blocked the transaction, the incident demonstrated a significant flaw in the review process of foreign land purchases. CFIUS relies on its member agencies to provide updated information on sensitive military, intelligence, and national laboratory sites in order to properly assess the security risk of foreign investment in our country. If CFIUS member agencies do not appropriately update their site lists, CFIUS cannot ensure an accurate review.
Since taking office, Senator Britt has supported several pieces of legislation holding foreign adversaries accountable and standing up for hardworking Americans. The first piece of cosponsored legislation is the Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act, which was introduced by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). Senator Britt also introduced theNot One More Inch or Acre Act with Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), which prevents any Chinese national or entity from owning American land. Most recently, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 included an amendment sponsored by Senator Britt that would provide funding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a streamlined and uniform process for the tracking and disclosure of all foreign investment in American farmland.
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