U.S. SENATORS KATIE BRITT, TOM COTTON INTRODUCE ‘NOT ONE MORE INCH OR ACRE ACT’

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 31, 2023 – Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.), the ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, joined Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), in introducing the Not One More Inch or Acre Act, legislation that will prevent any Chinese national or entity from owning American land.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has bought hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland across the United States, including property immediately adjacent to military bases. These land purchases have let China advance its economic and national security interests while undermining the U.S.

“There is no doubt that the Chinese Communist Party is our greatest geopolitical and national security threat, and everything they do is as our adversary,” said Senator Britt. “The FBI has said that they open a new counterintelligence case against China about twice per day. From stealing our intellectual property and spying on our children through TikTok, to buying up American farmland near military installations and engaging in unfair trade practices that undercut Alabama steel makers and shrimpers, we must hold the CCP accountable. We accomplish this through strength, not continued weakness. I’m grateful for Senator Cotton’s continued leadership on this critical issue. I’ll continue to fight to defend hardworking Americans while protecting our homeland.”

“For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has been gobbling up American farmland and real-estate. At best, this submits American land and resources to China’s best interests, not America’s—at worst, these purchases serve as outposts for Chinese espionage campaigns against American businesses and military bases. We can’t allow Chinese citizens, or anyone affiliated with the CCP, to own one more inch of American soil. And any American land exploited by current Chinese ownership should be sold,” stated Senator Cotton.

 The Not One More Inch or Acre Act would:

• Prohibit citizens of the People’s Republic of China, members of the CCP or any individual or entity acting on their behalf from purchasing any real estate in the United States.
• Require the sale of any property owned or influenced by the CCP that the President determines to be a national security risk.
• Set a minimum penalty for foreign investors who fail to comply with USDA reporting requirements.

A copy of the bill can be found here.

The National Association of Realtors’ 2022 Profile of International Transactions in U.S. Residential Real Estate found that Chinese buyers purchased $6.1 billion of U.S. residential real estate from April 2021-March 2022. China trailed only Canada when it comes to the countries that purchased the highest dollar amount of American real estate during that 12-month period.

Over the past few months, Senator Britt joined her colleagues in introducing four additional pieces of legislation holding the CCP accountable and standing up for hardworking Americans. The first is a bipartisan resolution condemning the unlawful incursion into U.S. airspace by the People’s Republic of China’s high-altitude surveillance balloon. Second, Senator Britt cosponsored the Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act, which was introduced by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). Next, Senator Britt cosponsored the Cutting-off Communist Profiteers (CCP) Act, a piece of legislation that would prohibit any former U.S. presidential appointees from knowingly representing, aiding, or advising the Chinese Communist Party or Chinese military companies. The final piece of cosponsored legislation is the Protecting America from Spies Act, intending to target Chinese Communist Party spies committing espionage toward American technology firms and businesses.

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