Republican Missouri Rep. Mark Alford led a group of House and Senate Republicans in sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin regarding a manufacturing facility with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ties being built less than 100 miles from crucial military installations in Kansas and Missouri.
The Daily Caller first obtained the letter, which calls on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to investigate the planned investment in a 333,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Johnson County, Kansas by Cnano Technologies, USA Inc. In late December, the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) broke the news of the plans and the ties between the CCP and the U.S. company.
“The construction of a manufacturing facility by Cnano Technologies, a company connected to the CCP, in Johnson County, Kansas, is deeply concerning. The CCP’s brazen aggressions around the globe cannot be tolerated,” Alford told the Caller before sending the letter. “We deserve to know what knowledge Secretaries Yellen and Austin have of this construction, any information about the company’s connection to the Communist regime, and what is being done to halt this project. A facility of this magnitude with such proximity to several military installations must be stopped. We look forward to a swift response from Administration officials.”
In the House, Alford was joined by Kansas Rep. Jake LaTurner as a co-lead. Missouri Rep. Sam Graves, Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison and Missouri Rep. Luetkemeyer also joined as cosigners. In the Senate, Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt joined as a co-lead and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley as well as Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall signed on. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: CCP-Tied Firm Slated To Build Massive Facility Near Sensitive US Military Sites)
“It is imperative we protect our critical military infrastructure from Chinese Communist Party espionage, and allowing a CCP entity to set up shop in the backyard of military installations like Whiteman AFB, Fort Leavenworth, and the Kansas City National Security Campus is completely unacceptable,” Schmitt told the Caller. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Bipartisan Group Of Lawmakers Call For Investigation Into Reported CCP ‘Attacks’ On Vital US Infrastructure)
The DCNF report exposed that the $95 million Cnano USA facility will be built 35 miles from Fort Leavenworth, and 70 miles from the “only operational base for the B-2,” Whiteman Air Force Base.
“Cnano USA is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and a clear threat to America’s national and economic security,” LaTurner said. “Allowing the CCP to set up shop in Johnson County and infiltrate our supply chains and critical military installations is unacceptable. The Biden administration must take action to prevent the Chinese Communist Party from expanding its foothold in Kansas and other states across the country.”
READ THE LETTER HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
“The CCP will exploit any avenue to better position its espionage efforts against the United States, we’ve seen it time and time again. We must take severe caution when it comes to any company coming to Kansas with potential ties to the CCP,” Senator Marshall said. “We’ve called for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to review Cnano and are fighting for a CFIUS review that would also help reveal red flags about this company. I’m optimistic these investigations will uncover any information Kansans and elected officials need to understand and address any potential national security threat right here in our backyard.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: J.D. Vance, Republican Senators Introduce Legislation To Crack Down On CCP Influence At US Universities)
The lawmakers called for a response by Feb. 16, 2024, asking them to detail their plan to include Whiteman Air Force Base, Kansas City National Security Campus and Fort Leavenworth in the next list of installations to be reviewed by CFIUS.