Governor Jim Pillen has joined 16 Republican governors in calling on President Joe Biden, the U.S. Congress, and other federal leaders to take necessary action protecting states from being targeted in land grabs by foreign, adversarial nations. While some states have passed legislation to restrict foreign land ownership, the governors say more needs to happen at the national level.
“These governments are 100% adversarial and enemies of the U.S., strategically buying up our property for their own benefit and purposes,” said Gov. Pillen. “We have turned a blind eye for too long to this threat – one that has the potential to impact our security, our businesses, and here in Nebraska, the number one driver of our economy – agriculture.”
“For too long we have allowed dangerous and adversarial governments to infiltrate our country,” stated the governors’ letter. “Our States will tolerate such allowances no longer.”
Earlier this year, Gov. Pillen issued an executive order banning the state of Nebraska and its contractors from using communications equipment and services produced by technology companies owned or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). That was followed by a bill passed by a bipartisan group of state lawmakers, signed by the Governor in May.