Letter from governors’ group warns: Hands off American land

Watchful Republican governors are out to guard American soil in no unsure phrases.

A gaggle of 17 of them have despatched a letter to each the Biden administration and U.S. House and Senate management calling for motion “to protect the United States from the imminent national security threat directly related to the Communist Party of China’s efforts to amass U.S. land.”

Their letter addresses “recent alarming land purchases” — which embrace 270 acres close to the National Guard’s Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center in Michigan — the Guard’s largest coaching website within the U.S.



“Where the Biden administration has failed to address the threat at hand, states have stepped into the breach to protect this country’s most valued resource — our people. In 2023, a bipartisan group of eleven states enacted foreign ownership laws,” the letter acknowledged, citing legal guidelines in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia.

The effort is being led by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

“For too long, we have allowed dangerous and adversarial governments to infiltrate our country. Our states will tolerate such allowances no longer,” the letter mentioned.

“The Biden administration must reckon with the fact that such entities are plain threats to our national security, our farmers, and our citizenry. This is especially true since the Communist Party of China enacted a law in 2017 requiring Chinese citizens abroad to collaborate with Chinese security officials on intelligence work — no questions asked,” the letter mentioned.

“We are heartened to see some in Congress advance legislation which would mitigate this threat. And we encourage Congressional action to codify our stance into federal law. Until Congress passes such legislation, we urge the Biden Administration to use all available tools to prevent the continued acquisition of American lands by adversarial foreign governments and entities,” the letter mentioned later.

Besides Mrs. Sanders, the opposite governors who signed the letter are Ron DeSantis of Florida, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Brad Little of Idaho, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Greg Gianforte of Montana, Jim Pillen of Nebraska, Doug Burgum of North Dakota, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Henry McMaster of South Carolina, Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Bill Lee of Tennessee, Greg Abbott of Texas, Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, Jim Justice of West Virginia and Mark Gordon of Wyoming.

‘BIDENOMICS’ GOES BYE-BYE

“Has Bidenomics finally met its Waterloo? In June, a top Biden spokesperson called it the word of the day, word of the week, word of the month, word of the year here at the White House. Today, Biden hasn’t used the term in more than a month and others are jumping ship — fast,” mentioned Jake Schneider, director of fast response for the Republican National Committee in a written assertion.

“It doesn’t take a genius to see why ‘Bidenomics’ has failed. 78% of American voters rate the economy negatively, according to a new Fox News poll, and most believe the worst is not yet over. Nearly three-quarters of voters across seven key swing states say the economy is on the wrong track; just 35% of them trust Biden on the economy,” Mr. Schneider mentioned, this time citing the outcomes of a current Morning Consult survey.

“Meanwhile, Americans trust Republicans to keep the country prosperous by the widest margin since 1991,” he added.

The supply is a Gallup Poll of 1,016 U.S. adults launched Oct. 3, which discovered that 53% of the respondents mentioned the Republican Party did a greater job of holding the nation affluent, in contrast with 39% who felt that manner in regards to the Democratic Party. The remaining 8% had no opinion on the difficulty.

SALUTING THE HOLIDAY

A spherical of applause, please, for the Department of Defense — particularly the Armed Forces Network, or AFN.

The U.S. navy’s world radio and tv service will have a good time the “25 Days of Christmas,” an intensive assortment of vacation programming for our troops, to be broadcast on all AFN channels, streaming companies and radio stations worldwide. This useful follow is marking its eighth decade of operation and can embrace seasonal fare for U.S. Navy ships at sea — supplied through satellite tv for pc service.

“For 81 years, AFN has been providing U.S. forces and their families overseas the very best of holiday entertainment. For many of our audiences, whether serving in Korea, eastern Europe, or the Horn of Africa, the holidays simply would not be the same without AFN,” mentioned Hal Pittman, director of Defense Media Activity, AFN’s dad or mum group, based mostly at Fort Meade, Maryland.

This well-crafted and considerate custom dates again to 1942; its motto is “We Bring You Home.” Among many different issues, the community will showcase 75 films, video on demand from the Food Network and different suppliers, plus streaming radio service targeted on seasonal music favorites. Kwanzaa will even be included within the programming.

“We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to find personal pleasure and joy in our programming,” mentioned Army Maj. Jason Hohnberger, chief of spiritual programming for the community and a navy chaplain.

“In December, AFN will be sharing Sunday morning worship services from around the nation, to include Harvest with Greg Laurie. We currently broadcast for most denominations, to include Catholic, Lutheran, Gospel, Jewish services, and are continuing to expand our offerings,” he mentioned.

The spiritual denominations present their programming to AFN without charge.

POLL DU JOUR

• 28% of registered U.S. voters assume a doable battle between China and Taiwan poses the largest risk to U.S. nationwide safety; 32% of Republicans, 29% of independents and 23% of Democrats agree.

• 28% of U.S. adults assume the Israel-Hamas battle poses the largest risk to nationwide safety; 31% of Republicans, 24% of independents and 29% of Democrats agree.

• 22% general assume the Ukraine-Russia battle poses the largest risk; 17% of Republicans, 22% of independents and 27% of Democrats agree.

• 7% general assume “something else” poses the largest risk; 7% of Republicans, 10% of independents and 5% of Democrats agree.

• 15% general are “not sure” in regards to the problem; 13% of Republicans, 16% of independents and 15% of Democrats agree.

SOURCE: A NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ ballot of three,200 registered U.S. voters carried out Nov. 26-27.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @Harperbulletin.