U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Ted Cruz Introduce Legislation to Prevent Adversaries from Buying Land Near Military Installations

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) with several of their colleagues introduced the Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act to protect Department of Defense (DOD) installations and training areas from our adversaries. The bill restricts the purchase of certain property by a foreign person acting for or on behalf of Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea.

“The Chinese Communist Party and adversaries around the globe are constantly looking for opportunities to undermine the United States, including making investments here in America. The Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act expands the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to protect our national security assets here at home from our adversaries. This is especially important to Alabama with our many military installations,” said Senator Britt.

“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. I am proud to introduce this legislation, which will block our adversaries from acquiring assets that could undermine our defense. I urge the Senate to expeditiously take it up and pass it,” said Senator Cruz.

The Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act would expand the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to include real estate investments in the U.S. by entities linked to China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, if the investments are located within 100 miles of a military installation or 50 miles of a military training route, special use airspace, controlled firing area, or military operations area.

The DOD and the Department of Transportation (DOT) would be prohibited from issuing final determinations regarding specified projects that involve a transaction under review by the committee until the committee has concluded its review.

The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).

Read the Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act here.

Senator Britt also recently introduced the Not One More Inch or Acre Act with Senator Cotton. The Not One More Inch or Acre Act would prohibit the People’s Republic of China, members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or any individual or entity acting on their behalf from purchasing any real estate in the U.S. The legislation would also require the sale of any property owned or influenced by the CCP that the president determines to be a national security risk. It also sets a minimum penalty for foreign investors who fail to comply with the U.S. Department of Agriculture reporting requirements. 

Text of the Not One More Inch or Acre Act can be found here.  

###