On Friday, U.S. Sen. Katie Britt joined Sen. Tom Cotton in introducing the Not One More Inch or Acre Act, legislation that will prevent any Chinese national or entity from owning American land.
“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 Sen. 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 steelmakers 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,” said Sen. Cotton. “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.”
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 regarding the countries that purchased the highest dollar amount of American real estate during that 12-month period.
Sen. Cotton said that 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 the Chinese advance their economic and national security interests while undermining the U.S.
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.
Over the past few months, Senator Britt joined her colleagues in introducing four additional pieces of legislation holding the CCP.
The first was 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.
Third, Senator Britt cosponsored the Cutting-off Communist Profiteers (CCP) Act, a piece of legislation prohibiting any former U.S. presidential appointees from knowingly representing, aiding, or advising the Chinese Communist Party or Chinese military companies.
The fourth 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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