Washington, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), and five of their Senate GOP colleagues introduced the Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act to protect Department of Defense (DOD) installations and training areas from our adversaries. The bill restricts the purchase of certain property by a foreign person acting for or on behalf of Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea.

“It’s bad enough that American citizens have to worry about convicted criminal illegal aliens wandering our streets after four years of open borders—we shouldn’t have to worry about adversaries infiltrating our military installations, too,” Sen. Mullin said. “As we clean up the mess Joe Biden left behind, this legislation is necessary to ensure that in addition to securing our southern border, we protect our military installations and all who inhabit them from criminal illegals and other nefarious actors who threaten our national security.”

“Foreign adversaries are exploiting loopholes to acquire land near our military bases and training routes, jeopardizing the safety of our troops and the integrity of our operations,” Sen. Cruz said. “I am proud to introduce this legislation, which will block our adversaries from acquiring assets that could undermine our defense. I urge the Senate to expeditiously take it up and pass it.”

“The federal government has a duty to protect the American people and our military bases from espionage and terrorist attacks, especially in the face of threats from Russian, Chinese, North Korean and Iranian state actors,” Sen. Scott said. “These are known enemies who want to bring harm upon America and our way of life – they have no business owning land anywhere near our military bases or sensitive air spaces. This is a no-brainer. It’s time to put America first and pass this good bill.”

“The Chinese Communist Party’s purchase of land near military facilities around our country is a direct threat to our national security,” Sen. Budd said. “This practice must be stopped to keep military installations in North Carolina and around the country secure. I’d like to thank Senator Cruz for leading this critical legislation.” 

“The Chinese Communist Party and adversaries around the globe are constantly looking for opportunities to undermine the United States, including making investments here in America,”Sen. Britt said. “The Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act expands the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to protect our national security assets here at home from our adversaries. This is especially important to Alabama with our many military installations.”

“Our adversaries are doing everything they can to claim land dangerously close to some of our nation’s most important military installations and ranges. Allowing land ownership by Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran in our sovereign country is a slippery slope,” Sen. Tuberville said. “Alabama is home to five military installations that are integral to our national security—if a bad actor is anywhere within a 100-mile radius, we need to know. It is crucial that CFIUS adopts this practice sooner rather than later. Joe Biden created a national security crisis and Congress has an obligation to immediately protect our military installations from bad actors.”

“America’s adversaries have no business purchasing land in our country, especially near military bases,” Sen. Cotton said. “This important legislation addresses a serious hole in our national security.”

Sens. Mullin and Cruz are joined on this legislation by U.S. Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Tom Cotton (R-AK).

Read exclusively about the Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act in the Military Times.

Full text of the Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act can be found here.

BACKGROUND

The Protecting Military Installations and Rangers Act would expand the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to include real estate investments in the U.S. by entities linked to China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, if the investments are 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 Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) would be prohibited from issuing final determinations regarding specified projects that involve a transaction under review by the committee until the committee has concluded its review.

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