Peace Garden News

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services and Banking Committees, issued the following statement after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) announced its proposal to expand jurisdiction over eight U.S. military bases, including Grand Forks Air Force Base. Specifically, the committee will cover transactions within 100 miles of the installation.

“I am pleased to see CFIUS’ proposal expand its oversight of foreign transactions in proximity to Grand Forks Air Force Base. This is a good first step to bolster reviews and mitigate threats similar to what we saw with Fufeng.”

Background:

CFIUS is an interagency committee authorized to review transactions involving foreign investment and real estate by foreign persons in the United States to determine the effect of such purchases on the national security of the United States.

The Fufeng Group, a food manufacturer with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, in 2021 bought 370 acres of land for a wet-corn milling plant 12 miles from the Grand Forks Air Force Base. Senator Cramer was a vocal opponent of purchase due to national security concerns. Among other actions, he requested CFIUS review the investment, only for the committee to delay its decision and ultimately conclude non-jurisdiction – which was not a reflection of the merits of the investment.

The U.S. Air Force, in a January 2023 letter, officially asserted the Fufeng project “presents a significant threat to national security with both near- and long-term risks of significant impacts to our operations in the area.”

Senator Cramer penned an op-ed in the Washington Examiner last week regarding American land acquisitions by foreign adversaries. Learn more here.  

Original source can be found here.