Josh Hawley Will Introduce Legislation to Ban Chinese Corporations from Owning American Farmland

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) announced on Tuesday that he would introduce new legislation to ban Chinese corporations from owning American farmland.

Hawley’s announcement to ban the ownership of American farmland by any Chinese corporations comes just days after a Chinese spy balloon flew over the continental United States for days — which has fueled a renewed push from some Republicans on this issue.

“What is abundantly clear after Biden’s Chinese spying debacle is that no Chinese corporation should be permitted to own American farmland. I’m introducing legislation to stop it. Protect American farmers,” the Republican senator said on Twitter.

Hawley was referencing the Chinese spy balloon that floated over the continental United States for days before it was shot down Saturday morning while it was over the Atlantic Ocean off the Carolina coast.

American civilians first discovered the spy balloon floating over their homes on Thursday. After the news broke, a senior defense official said last week, “We are confident that this high-altitude surveillance balloon belongs to the [People’s Republic of China].”

Last Friday, after news broke of the Chinese spy balloon, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) also called for passage of legislation to ban the Chinese Communist Party from buying up land in South Dakota, stating, “Now more than ever, states need to step up and defend our people from the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party. This is exactly why we need to pass SB 185 and SB 189.”

The governor’s proposal, which has support in the State House and State Senate, would create a state-level version of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review and then block any foreign entity’s proposal to purchase land in South Dakota.

“This is a national security issue,” the governor told Breitbart News Saturday during an appearance in January regarding Chinese corporations buying up parts of her state. “I think all of us can agree as Americans that China shouldn’t be buying up land in the United States. They are an enemy.”

“Protecting America is important, and that this has been a real threat to our country, and with the B21 coming to South Dakota, we are a target for exactly the kinds of activities that China is doing in other places, such as buying up land and assets and from other countries that hate us.”

A recent Trafalgar Group poll conducted this week found that 63.4 percent think that “the crisis was mishandled” or “should have been dealt with sooner,” while only 36.6 percent think the Biden administration “appropriately” handled the situation.

Additionally, 58.8 percent agree that “Biden should have taken quicker action to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon before it even entered U.S. sovereign airspace,” and 59.2 percent also feel that Biden’s handling of the Chinese spy balloon made “America look weak” on the world stage.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.