It is unconscionable that any land in Texas, including strategic assets, would be sold to foreign entities of any nation listed on the Annual Threat Assessments of the U.S. Intelligence Community.
In Senate District 1, 97% of Texas Republicans agree with that statement. SD1 is composed of 19 rural counties.
It’s no surprise that the Texas Land is Not For Sale legislative priority passed easily at the Republican Party of Texas Convention and aims to prohibit real property sales to nations deemed hostile to the United States by the Annual Report of Hostile Nations.
It passed easily and overwhelmingly because members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) shouldn’t have property rights in Texas, but currently, they do! We must take action immediately to protect Texans from foreign adversaries.
The Select Committee: Securing Texas from Hostile Foreign Organizations, chaired by State Rep. Cole Hefner, held its first hearing on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
Property rights have no bigger advocate than a Texas Republican, but property rights don’t include opportunities for treason. The right to secure land and property leads to increased security, economic prosperity, and independence for American citizens, and our nation’s land should rightfully be owned by its citizens.
Texas shouldn’t be selling its land to nations deemed hostile to the United States, but the lobbyists in the Austin swamp are willing to give property rights to members of the CCP because they want the money more than they want to secure our homeland for its citizens. Think about what that means for your children and grandchildren.
These lobbyists are already working hard to persuade the politicians whose campaigns they fund to make compromises. They are pushing for disclosure only. This means the foreign actor may not purchase or otherwise acquire title to real property in this state without written notification to the seller. The seller would use his discretion. They are messaging it as protecting “property rights.”
Wednesday’s hearing revealed this. Perhaps it was most shocking to hear this perspective shared by the Texas Farm Bureau. They are AGAINST prohibiting land sales to foreign entities from nations deemed hostile to the United States on the Annual Threat Assessments of the U.S. Intelligence Community.
Rep. Hefner’s response to the TX Farm Bureau’s representative has also concerned many. He responded in the hearing that he supports Speaker Dade Phelan’s approach to getting the invited testimony of lobbyists so that the House can address the “serious threats, but we do it in the right way to protect our private property rights and our business and economy.”
Our agricultural land is particularly vulnerable, as it produces a variety of commodities essential to the economic growth of our agricultural industry and the security of our nation’s food supply. We should not settle for anything less than prohibition, similar to what Arkansas passed last year.
If you are a member of your local Texas Farm Bureau, I recommend letting them know that you are opposed to their lobbying against the Republican Party of Texas’ Legislative Priority: Texas Is Not For Sale.
I also recommend contacting your state representative with your concerns.
Of course, this is just the beginning – but we can see that this priority will take a great grassroots effort to get passed this session.
This is a commentary published with the author’s permission. If you wish to submit a commentary to Texas Scorecard, please submit your article to submission@texasscorecard.com.
