After signing nondisclosure agreements with Chinese Communist Party affiliated electric vehicle manufacturers Gotion Inc. and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., Michigan U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin has authored a bill that would give the federal government increased authority to scrutinize the national security implications of such companies.

If passed into law, the Protecting Against Foreign Adversary Investments Act expands Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States authority to conduct national security reviews of significant real estate purchases by foreign entities of concern, which includes companies based in adversarial countries such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

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Slotkin told The Detroit News the intense local opposition to the proposed Gotion EV battery plant outside Mecosta County’s Big Rapids inspired her to write the bill. The 260-acre, $2.4 billion manufacturing facility was approved by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for $715 million in taxpayer-funded incentives as well as a 30-year property tax abatement.

“A lot of the impetus for this bill came from the local debate around this plant,” Slotkin said. “We need an objective way to do a national security review before big purchases by governments of concern.”

As noted last week in The Midwesterner, Slotkin signed a nondisclosure agreement with Gotion, requiring her to keep the secrets of the Chinese companies and their affiliation with state government.

The Senate candidate conceded to the News that her bill would not impact Gotion or CATL “because there are constitutional limitations on going after completed deals.”

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“Elissa Slotkin is making a desperate attempt to cover for her fellow comrades Curtis Hertel and Kristen McDonald Rivet who sold out Michigan to the Chinese Communist Party. Slotkin’s bill doesn’t actually do anything to stop their sketchy deal. It’s too little, too late,” National Republican Congressional Committee Spokesman Mike Marinella said.

Michigan Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters are introducing companion legislation in the Senate.

“This bipartisan bill addresses an important concern for our national and economic security,” Slotkin said in a statement. “While foreign investment in the U.S. can support much-needed economic development, jobs and innovation, it can also threaten our national security. To address that risk, we need to have official national security experts review these land purchases with clear-eyed expertise, and without fear or favor. The CFIUS panel already reviews corporate acquisitions and a limited number of real estate deals. This bill will give the experts at CFIUS the ability to examine a much broader set of real estate transactions. This means we can stop purchases that pose an actual risk to national security – and give comfort to Americans that new projects in their communities have been carefully examined by national security professionals.”