Washington, DC — The four Iowa Republicans serving in the U.S. House have voted to create a new committee focused on China.
Second district Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion notes it passed with the support of all Republicans and nearly 70 percent of the Democrats in the House.
Hinson says the House Select Committee on China should move to forbid Chinese citizens and companies from buying American farmland. Iowa law forbids foreign ownership of agricultural land, but according to the USDA, China owns about 190,000 acres of farm ground in the United States.
The governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum, has asked federal officials to review a Chinese food company’s recent purchase of 300 acres of land in his state. The property is about 12 miles from the Grand Forks U.S. Air Force Base. Hinson says the federal government needs to track the purchase of land around U.S. military installations and other key infrastructure.
Hinson made her comments on the morning of January 12th during a telephone news conference with Iowa reporters. She expressed reservations about colleague George Santos, the New York congressman who admits he has lied about his past, including where he’s worked and his family background.
Two Democratic congressmen from New York filed an ethics complaint against Santos this week, questioning whether he lied on the financial disclosures he filed with the House.
