McCaul Applauds State Sen. Kolkhorst’s Efforts to Protect Texas Land from Foreign Nation Adversaries
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (Texas-10) released the following statement in support of Texas State Senator Lois Kolkhorst’s efforts to ban entities aligned with America’s foreign nation adversaries from purchasing land in Texas, which could then be used to undermine U.S. national security.
“It’s no secret that America’s adversaries — emboldened by this administration’s displays of weakness — are growing more aggressive by the day,” said Rep. McCaul. “As the spy balloon revealed, the Chinese Communist Party knows no bounds when it comes to espionage, and they are already making dangerous moves to secure land near our military bases. I’m thankful Texas has champions like Senator Lois Kolkhorst working in our state legislature to protect our great state and its citizens from those who would do us harm.”
Background:
According to the USDA, foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land doubled from 2009 to 2019, and Texas is home to the most foreign-owned acreage in the United States.
As chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rep. McCaul remains concerned about the threats posed by U.S. land purchases from entities aligned with our foreign nation adversaries — namely China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia. Examples of concerning land purchases include:
- A Chinese food manufacturing company, Fufeng Group, bought land near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota in 2022.
- A Chinese company purchased 140,000 acres in Val Verde County, Texas, near Laughlin Air Force Base.
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