Arizona’s Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs is wrong on just about everything, and she proved it again Tuesday as she vetoed a bill that would limit China from buying land near military installations. Preventing the CCP from owning such real estate seems like a rather obvious security measure to take, given that China is generally considered our number one geopolitical foe and they flew a spy balloon over us in 2023.
What is obvious to thinking people is not obvious to Hobbs, however:
…Hobbs said the bill, S.B. 1109, was "ineffective at counter-espionage" and did not "directly protect" American military assets in the state.
Chinese investment in land near military bases has become an increasing concern for national security hawks. [State Senate Majority Leader Janae] Shamp [R], 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.
Republican Andy Biggs, who is running for governor in ’26 and will presumably go up against Hobbs, said there’s “no excuse”:
Hobbs has been on the wrong side of issues all too many times before:
Arizona Gov. Hobbs Rejects Squatter Removal Bill, Sparking Debate Over Property Rights
The bill, which would have prevented the People's Republic of China from having a 30 percent or more stake in Arizona property, could still pass if the legislature comes to its senses and overrides it.
Hobbs claimed the bill had issues:
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."
That seems like a lame excuse, though, because lawmakers had already made efforts to improve the measure.
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.
Is there even one good journalist in Arizona who will put a mic and camera in her face and ask why?
@KariLake should be the governor there. This is sick!
Michael Lucci of State Armor Action, a conservative group focused on security issues, had this to say:
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.”
Whatever Hobbs' motivations are, they rarely really seem to be about putting America first.
The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject their globalist agenda.
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