Dem governor ripped as 'total disgrace' after vetoing bill limiting Chinese land ownership near military bases
Arizona state Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp said the "politically motivated veto" was "utterly insane," blaming Hobbs for being "an obstructionist against safeguarding our citizens from threats."
However, Hobbs said the bill, S.B. 1109, was "ineffective at counter-espionage" and did not "directly protect" American military assets in the state.
Texas Pushes Back Against Foreign Land Grab With 'Strongest Bill In The Nation' Against China, Iran, Russia
Chinese investment in land near military bases has become an increasing concern for national security hawks. Shamp, in her efforts to get the now-vetoed bill passed, cited recent Chinese attempts to lease buildings alongside Arizona's Luke Air Force Base, where the military trains fighter pilots.
"Governor Hobbs's veto of SB 1109 hangs an 'Open for the CCP' sign on Arizona's front door, allowing Communist China to buy up American land near critical assets like Luke Air Force Base, Palo Verde nuclear power plant, and Taiwan Semiconductor's growing fabrication footprint," said Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats.
Read On The Fox News App
"Allowing Communist China to buy up land near our critical assets is a national security risk, plain and simple, and Governor Hobbs is substantively and completely wrong when she says that SB 1109 'is ineffective at counter-espionage and does not directly protect our military assets,'" Lucci added.
Lucci pointed to Ukraine's recent drone attacks that destroyed significant numbers of Russian military aircraft, noting that "proximity produces peril in asymmetric warfare."
After Ukraine's Surprise Drone Assault On Russia, New Attention Drawn To Sensitive Sites Stateside
S.B. 1109, which can still pass if the Arizona legislature overrides Hobbs' veto, would have prohibited the People's Republic of China from having a 30%, or more, stake in Arizona property.
Hobbs, in her defense of the veto, added that in addition to being ineffective at countering Chinese espionage efforts, the bill lacked "clear implementation criteria," which opened the door for "arbitrary enforcement."
However, the bill went through a bipartisan amendment process in an effort to assuage those concerns that the legislation might lead to discrimination in land sales, according to local outlet the AZ Mirror. The initial version of the bill banned certain people and entities deemed to be national security threats from buying up land in Arizona, but following subsequent amendments the bill only sought to ban Chinese government-linked entities and its subsidiaries.
In addition to Arizona, other states have proposed or passed legislation aimed at curtailing Chinese land grabs in the United States. Congress has also taken steps in an effort to effectuate change through national policy.
As of March 17, according to the China-focused nonprofit Committee of 100, 27 states are currently considering 84 bills aimed at restricting foreign property ownership in some way, while Congress is currently considering seven separate bills addressing the issue. So far, the committee indicated, 22 states have passed bills restricting foreign property ownership, 17 of which were passed into law in 2024.Original article source: Dem governor ripped as 'total disgrace' after vetoing bill limiting Chinese land ownership near military bases
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
15 minutes ago
- The Hill
Hong Kong pro-democracy activists granted asylum in Australia and Britain
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and a former lawmaker who are wanted by the city's authorities have been granted asylum in Great Britain and Australia, respectively. Tony Chung, an activist who was imprisoned under Hong Kong's sweeping national security law, and Ted Hui, a former lawmaker who was facing trial for his role in anti-government protests in 2019, both announced over the weekend that they have received asylum in the countries where they now live. They are among dozens of activists on the run from Hong Kong authorities. Civil liberties in the city have been greatly eroded since Beijing in 2020 imposed a national security law essentially criminalizing dissent in the former British colony. Both Beijing and Hong Kong have hailed the security law as bringing stability to the financial hub. Hui, who fled Hong Kong in December 2020, is part of a group of overseas activists who are targeted by police bounties of up to 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($127,800). The former lawmaker is now working as a lawyer in Adelaide. He announced on Facebook on Saturday that he and his family have been granted protection visas. 'I express my sincere gratitude to the Government of Australia — both present and former — for recognising our need for asylum and granting us this protection,' Hui wrote. 'This decision reflects values of freedom, justice, and compassion that my family will never take for granted.' While in Hong Kong, Hui had been an outspoken pro-democracy lawmaker. He was also known for disrupting a legislative session after he threw a rotten plant in the chamber to stop a debate of the national anthem bill — controversial legislation making it illegal to insult the Chinese national anthem. He was subsequently fined 52,000 Hong Kong dollars ($6,600) for the act. Chung, who had advocated for Hong Kong's independence, was sentenced to almost four years in prison for secession and money laundering in 2020. He was released on a supervision order, during which he traveled to Japan, from where he fled to Britain seeking asylum. In a post on social media platform Threads on Sunday, he expressed his excitement at receiving refugee status in Britain along with a five-year resident permit. He said that despite his challenges over the past few years, including persistent mental health problems, he remains committed to his activism. British and Australian authorities didn't immediately comment on the activists' statuses. Hong Kong's government did not comment directly on the cases but issued a statement on Saturday condemning 'the harbouring of criminals in any form by any country.' 'Any country that harbours Hong Kong criminals in any form shows contempt for the rule of law, grossly disrespects Hong Kong's legal systems and barbarically interferes in the affairs of Hong Kong,' the statement read.
New York Post
15 minutes ago
- New York Post
Blame Canada: How Trump can help us from being smoked out of our summer
DETROIT — Smokey Bear famously said, 'Only you can prevent forest fires.' But because Canada has not put in an ounce of prevention — the smoke from its wildfires has invaded Michigan and other American skies for three straight summers — it will take a pound of cure to Make Michigan Summer Again. So it falls on the best dealmaker the White House has ever seen to make our northern neighbor an offer it can't refuse: Either Canada puts out the wildfires ASAP. Or the US military will, perhaps en route to Canada's annexation as the 51st state. Since the time of James Monroe, America has been jealous of the events within its hemisphere. Usually any problems emanate from parts south, whether it's fentanyl in Mexico or nuclear weapons in Cuba — not Canada. 4 With Canada not working to prevent wildfires, America's friend to the north has become a bad neighbor. AFP via Getty Images Any one summer of smoke can be understood, even excused. Things happen. Perhaps the second was a coincidence. But the third, as Ian Fleming would say, feels like enemy action. In just three years, America's friend to the north has become a bad neighbor. The Canadian Wildfire Information System shows moderate-to-high threats of fire danger in Ottawa, north of Michigan. In eastern Canada, above New England, the threats range from high to extreme. Esri Canada's map of active wildfires shows a problem from sea to smoke-covered sea. BBC calls 2025 Canada's second-worst wildfire season on record. Conservative member of Canadian Parliament Michelle Rempel Garner has joined the blame game, declaring an 'utter lack of action from the federal government' created the problem. 4 A haze of Canadian wildfire smoke blankets Detroit and creates poor air quality this month. AP Smoky summers were not a fixture of my childhood and cannot become a new normal for Michigan's children. Nobody in Lansing has any answers. I asked a friend at Michigan's environmental department what was being done about the wildfire smoke. I was told it had issued air-quality alerts. That's not exactly the proactive response we're looking for. 'In recent years, Michigan has seen unprecedented levels of wildfire smoke drifting across its communities and much of the rest of the country,' reads the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy website. 'In addition to pollutants like fine particulate matter carried in the smoke, there are gasses containing the chemicals that — when combined with sunlight — form ground-level ozone. These chemical reactions contribute to elevated ozone levels seen in areas across Michigan.' 4 Canadian wildfire smoke practically erases Detroit's skyline this month. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has thoughts on everything from tariffs to the impact of the Big Beautiful Bill to the price of back-to-school gear. But she's been oddly silent on the smoke that falls on the Traverse City Democrat and the Midland-area Republican alike. Whitmer spent one-fourth of last year traveling abroad, and she is keeping a similar pace in 2025, according to her public calendar. Perhaps too many of her travels this year are to foreign lands and too few within Michigan, to take up the plight of the pleasant peninsulas. Whitmer met with President Trump this month at the White House. She apparently left her folder at home this time rather than hiding behind it. Reports say Whitmer spoke about the $50 million in disaster relief Trump already granted for a northern Michigan ice storm — from months ago. There is no evidence Whitmer spoke a word about the current problem. The Michigan and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources have sent waves of firefighters to Canada, but it's not enough. Whitmer doesn't want the smoke with Canada. And why would she? She's just a governor. She's not looking for an international incident, especially when playing on the perception that Trump and Canada are at odds due to tariffs. 4 There's no evidence Whitmer even mentioned the Canadian problem to Trump when they met recently. AFP via Getty Images Michigan Republicans haven't done much better. Rep. John James, who's running in the 2026 governor's race to replace Whitmer, sent Canada a strongly worded letter. Then he got the other six Republicans in Michigan's congressional delegation to join him in a second letter. But Canada is the wrong target. James doesn't need to send a letter up north. He needs to call his friend the president. Trump has an affinity for Michigan and finished all three presidential campaigns there. It would break the man's heart to know we are being smoked out of our summer. Canada can't be trusted to put out the wildfires. The provinces Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have banned camping and hiking rather than fight fire with water. Canada has taken an active disinterest in managing its problem. And now its problem has become our problem. When Trump gets involved, there won't be a problem. The wildfire smoke Canada treats as a gateway to authoritarian rule, offering another chance to order people to 'stay home and stay safe,' is a threat to our lives and livelihoods in Michigan. This aggression cannot stand. President Trump, it's time to make Canada an offer it can't refuse. James David Dickson is a podcaster and independent journalist in Michigan.
New York Post
15 minutes ago
- New York Post
Disgraced ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner makes blunt prediction about Zohran Mamdani, top Dems in NYC mayoral race: ‘It's inevitable'
Top New York Democrats will swallow hard and eventually endorse lefty socialist Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani for mayor, ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner predicts. Weiner, the convicted perv whose own career crashed amid sexting scandals, said it was 'inevitable' that the nation's leading Democrats in Congress — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — would eventually back Mamdani. 'At the end of the day, people like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, they are going to have to endorse the nominee of their party [Mamdani],' Weiner said Sunday on 'The Cats Roundtable' radio program on WABC 770 AM. 6 Ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner predicts New York Democrats will eventually endorse Zohran Mamdani for mayor. AP 6 'At the end of the day, people like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, they are going to have to endorse the nominee of their party [Mamdani],' Weiner said on 'The Cats Roundtable' radio program. Getty Images 'I think it's inevitable,' he told host John Catsimatidis of the two lawmakers from Brooklyn. Some moderate Democrats who detest Mamdani's views will not endorse him — but Schumer and Jeffries as party leaders can't avoid the spotlight, he said. 'Some people can stay on the sidelines, and I think you're going to see a lot of people do that. but the leaders of the party, which Chuck and Hakeem are, are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea,' he said. 6 'They don't want to harm their moderate candidates all around the country, which are the ones they need to take back the House and Senate,' Weiner said about why Schumer and Jeffries have not endorsed the democratic socialist yet. REUTERS 'They've got the Democratic Party, who's now chosen their nominee,' Weiner said. Top Dems like Schumer and Jeffries have been dragging their feet on endorsing Mamdani to avoid harming moderate members of their party in the 2026 midterms, Weiner opined. 'The reason Chuck and Hakeem have been so slow to endorse Zohran is because they don't want to harm their moderate candidates all around the country, which are the ones they need to take back the House and Senate,' he said. 'That's a political question for them.' 6 According to Weiner, 'unfortunately, or fortunately … I think we're going to have Zohran Mamdani as the mayor in New York City.' James Keivom Republicans are already trying to link their Democratic rivals to Mamdani in this year's municipal elections across the Empire state. Weiner also predicted that Mamdani, as the Democratic nominee, will win the mayoralty. 'Unfortunately, or fortunately … I think we're going to have Zohran Mamdani as the mayor in New York City,' he said. Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Catsimatidis noted that two other Democrats are running as independent candidates in the November election — incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who didn't run in the June Democratic primary, and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost badly to Mamdani in that race. But Weiner dismissed their chances at winning while running on independent ballot lines in the general contest. Weiner attempted his second comeback, running for a City Council seat in District 2 on Manhattan's East Side in June, but lost badly to Assemblyman Harvey Epstein. 6 Weiner, whose career crashed amid sexting scandals, attempted his second comeback by running for a City Council seat in District 2 on Manhattan's East Side in June, but lost. Paul Martinka Weiner's downfall began in 2011, when he resigned from Congress after admitting he'd sent salacious selfies to at least six women. He then saw his comeback campaign for mayor in 2013 go down in flames when it was revealed he resumed the pervy activity using the pseudonym 'Carlos Danger.' Weiner later developed a months-long online relationship with a 15-year-old girl, whom he asked to dress up in school uniforms and be part of 'rape fantasies,' prosecutors charged. He pleaded guilty to sexting with a minor and did some prison time. His scandal-scarred baggage and criminal conviction may make him unelectable — but Weiner suggested his more moderate brand of politics played a role. 6 Weiner had previously resigned from Congress after admitting he'd sent salacious selfies to women. Angelina Katsanis/AP 'Right now, the Democratic Party in a lot of parts of New York … is very, very left to the point of falling off the edge of the cliff,' he told Catsimatidis. Many mainstream or moderate Democratic lawmakers are 'looking over their shoulders wondering if the next AOC [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] or Zohran Mamdani is going to be coming out of the woodwork to win in a primary,' Weiner said. While leftist or Democratic socialist candidates have won some races, they haven't shown yet that they can govern effectively, he said. 'The one thing that the left hasn't shown that they can do – if you look at Chicago and San Francisco – they haven't shown that they can govern yet,' Weiner said. 'The bigger problem is what outcomes are we going to get as citizens and taxpayers if these candidates are successful? Unfortunately, it looks like we're going to find out in New York City.'
