A congressman from Texas has introduced a resolution that would block companies with ties to some countries from buying land near American military bases. H.R. 917 would require the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review any land purchase near a U.S. military base by a company in China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia.
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-San Antonio) introduced the measure. His district stretches across much of West and South Texas from El Paso to San Antonio, including Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio.
"There is a lot of momentum," Gonzales said. "Every U.S. Air Force pilot gets trained out of here. If we don't have access to that space, it really hurts national security for the United States. China knows this."
In 2021, Gonzales wrote a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative urging a review of the sale of 130,000 acres of land near Laughlin to an American subsidiary of a Chinese energy company. The company planned to build a wind farm at the site.
Gonzales said Guanghei Energy Company is owned by a former communist party general and said the subsidiary would "encroach" upon Laughlin.
"This should not be a partisan issue," he said. "This is an opportunity for Democrats and Republicans to come together and say, 'How do we protect America from our adversaries?' I've got a piece of legislation that does that, and I think it is gaining more traction."
In the U.S. Senate, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Ted Budd (R-North Carolina) have introduced a similar bill. Their bill would block companies representing the same countries from buying land within 100 miles of an American military base or 50 miles of a military training route, airspace designated "special use" or a Department of Defense-controlled firing area.
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