By Ilan Hulkower. Media: DC Enquirer.
Note: This article may contain commentary reflecting the author’s opinion.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said on Thursday that President Joseph Biden appears to be “compromised” due to his family’s corrupt dealings with China in an interview with Newsmax. In the interview, she expressed her frustration over the administration’s lack of action in response to Chinese aggression.
She said that “We have economic warfare going on by the Chinese Communist Party against us. Look at what is happening. Our trade imbalance last year was nearly a trillion dollars. When you look at the fact that they had a banner year with the U.S. in 2022… Now, what do they do with all of those profits? They buy our debt. They’re the second largest holder of U.S. debt. They also spend that money to increase their military forces. They are now putting 7% of their GDP into building their military.”
The senator continued by saying that “They are using that against Taiwan. They’re using it against island nations – the Philippines. And they’re floating spy balloons that sachet across our country. And the Biden administration does zero. They don’t respond. [The Biden White House] does not take it seriously. It appears that we have a president who is compromised because of his family’s dealings with China. And, of course, we all know that every company in China is owned, in large part, by the Chinese Communist Party. They have a presence in these companies and they direct the activity of many of these companies.”
Newsmax then proceeded to ask her if she was also concerned with Chinese purchases of land adjacent to large American military bases in addition to their purchase of American farmland. She answered that “Well, as you know, I had an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act to prohibit that. Every Republican voted for it. Every Democrat voted against it. I’m very concerned about this. When I talk to Tennessee farmers, they are very concerned about this. Because not only is it a national security issue with proximity to much of our critical infrastructure, it is also a food security issue.”
The Tennessean Republican is not the only one who has tried to prohibit land purchases near American military bases to China. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced legislation alongside Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Steve Daines (R-MT) called the Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act of 2021. The bill according to its own text would “require the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review any purchase or lease of real estate near a military installation or military airspace in the United States by a foreign person connected to or subsidized by the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and for other purposes.”
The bill, which was introduced back on April 21, 2021, was read twice and sent to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs where it has languished. Senator Cruz’s press release about the bill described it as “a bill to stop adversaries from acquiring land near military bases, and military areas, which puts our military and national security at risk.”