Opinion Pieces

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the United States’ greatest adversary, and we are currently engaged in a strategic competition. Unfortunately, from education to real estate and beyond, the CCP has sought to undermine our institutions and gain an upper hand in this competition. To head off this threat, one of the most important moves we must take to uphold the integrity of our institutions is to prevent the CCP from purchasing real estate near Federally managed land. 

As a member of the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, I have been closely watching the actions of the CCP. There have been attempts to spy on sensitive national security sites, such as the infamous CCP spy balloon that flew over military bases in February 2023 before finally being shot down. In a high-profile case in 2022, a Chinese company purchased 300 acres of land near Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, where sensitive drone technology is housed.

For the past few years, I have consistently led the charge to end the CCP’s purchase of American farmland. In the last two Congresses, I introduced the Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People’s Republic of China Act. This bill would protect American food security by prohibiting CCP-affiliated individuals from purchasing public or private farmland in the U.S. While this bill is a good first step, greater and more comprehensive action is needed to ensure America’s lands aren’t used by our adversaries to undermine our security and prosperity.

It's time for policymakers to put an end to national security threats derived from the CCP purchasing American lands. As Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, a bipartisan group of over 100 U.S. Representatives focused on advocating and protecting the rural way of life in our Nation’s capital, I am committed to ensuring that American lands are not used to undermine our own security. 

That’s why in June I introduced the No American Land for Communist China Act. This bill strengthens our domestic defenses and protects critical Federal lands against these foreign actors that aim to deepen their already dangerous influence on the world stage. Once enacted, any agent of the CCP, or any business owned by the CCP, would be prohibited from purchasing land adjacent to Federal land.

In practical terms, this means that our greatest adversary would be unable to buy lands next to our military installations and national labs to use as bases for potential espionage activities. In Washington’s Fourth Congressional District, which I represent, we have the Pacific Northwest National Lab which, conducts research critical to advancing our national security and nuclear technologies. I cannot stress enough the risks to our security and the integrity of their research if the CCP were to buy land next to the lab to use for malign purposes.

Additionally, much of the Federal land across the western United States is rich in natural resources that fuel our domestic energy and manufacturing sectors. Allowing the CCP to buy land abundant in the resources would make an already difficult mineral supply chain crisis in our country worse, as the CCP already produces 60 percent of the world’s rare earth minerals. Allowing the CCP to purchase mineral-rich lands would add another roadblock to a long list of obstacles to unleashing the full potential of American mining.

To stifle the espionage efforts of our greatest adversary, I urge my colleagues to support my legislation to ban the CCP from buying lands in sensitive areas by our Federal lands. The Chinese Communist Party is at our doorstep, and we best not let them in. Our national security is at stake.