Protect Our Bases Act seeks to provide greater oversight of foreign land purchases near sensitive sites

A collection of six senators this week introduced the Protect Our Bases Act, seeking to require member agencies annually update their lists of sensitive military, intelligence and national lab sites for the review of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

This oversight overhaul was raised due to concerns about foreign land purchases near sensitive sites. Several states have already moved against such purchases in recent months, but U.S. Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Katie Britt (R-AL) want greater focus on the federal level as well.

“The Chinese Communist Party can’t be allowed to compromise the security of military and government facilities on our home turf,” Scott said. “By enhancing the review of foreign real estate transactions near sites that are vital to U.S. national security, this legislation will increase accountability to help ensure the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States can take proper action to push back on Communist China and keep our nation safe.”

Several of the senators’ constituencies host these sensitive sites, such as Crapo’s Idaho, which houses the Idaho National Laboratory. The general consensus from the Republican authors of the bill was that sensitive military and government sites are at risk of encroachment by foreign adversaries and must be secured.

“As President Biden’s weakness on the world stage has emboldened our adversaries, we must take action to protect the United States from potential national security threats. Purchasing land around sensitive intelligence sites and national labs gives foreign nations increased ability to spy on the U.S.—it must be stopped,” Daines said.

In a statement to highlight the bill’s importance, the senators pointed to the example of the Fufeng Group, a Chinese company that announced in 2022 it intended to purchase land near Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. The senators accused Fufeng of being linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Still, at the time, the Department of Defense hadn’t listed the base as a sensitive site for national security purposes, which meant the CFIUS had no authority to review the transaction. CFIUS depends on member agencies to update their site lists, lest it lack the ability to investigate thoroughly.

The senators took offense to this, labeling it as a flaw in the review process of foreign land purchases. Ultimately, though, the nearby city of Grand Forks, North Dakota blocked the transaction on its own.