EXCLUSIVE: GOP Rep Unveils Bill To Secure US Military Bases From Foreign ‘Land Grabs’

Republican Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington introduced a bill Wednesday aiming to prohibit individuals acting on behalf of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea from purchasing U.S. property located near military installations.

The bill, titled the Protecting Military Installation and Ranges Act, would empower the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) to review real estate investments in the U.S. by entities affiliated with China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, according to the legislation’s text first obtained by the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation. The law would apply to real estate purchases 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 CFIUS is a committee authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the U.S. and certain real estate transactions by foreign individuals, in order to determine the impacts of such transactions on U.S. national security, according to its website.

“It is supremely naïve and dangerous to allow foreign actors affiliated with our greatest adversaries to purchase land next to U.S. military installations,” Arrington told the DCNF.

The legislation would also prohibit the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) from issuing final determinations regarding specified projects that involve a real estate transaction under review by the CFIUS until it has concluded its review.

“I’m proud to lead this common sense cause to prevent these dangerous land grabs that threaten our national security and the safety of my fellow Americans,” Arrington said.