House Intelligence member implores corporate America to untether from China to aid US security

In the aftermath of the China spy balloon episode, one of the newest members of the House Intelligence Committee is urging corporate America to untether from Beijing for the good of American security.

"Everybody in this country and everybody sitting on a corporate board has got to acknowledge that China is spying on the United States of America and its citizens," Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) said Tuesday on the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show. "They are an adversary of our country and our people, so stop doing business with China."

Last week a Chinese spy balloon was spotted entering American airspace and was eventually shot down by the military after moving out over the Atlantic Ocean. There have also been growing concerns about China buying up U.S. farmland, spurring certain governors, like South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, to pass legislation banning such purchases.

Scott, who joined the intelligence panel last month, said that if it had not been for American citizens noticing the spy balloon, the Biden administration probably would not have done anything to stop it. 

"It was an American citizen that saw the balloon," Scott said. "They reported it, and once the press started reporting it, the president took action. Had had we not had a U.S. citizen report it, I do not think the president would have taken action against that balloon."

Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) surmised that the spy balloon situation was a test from China to see how much they could get away with. 

"I think part of this China balloon situation was China trying to figure out, 'Alright, how far can we push this? How far can we go?'" Feenstra remarked on the John Solomon Reports podcast. "We just keep capitulating to China, and this is so scary."

Former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said he believes the Chinese Communist Party is the biggest threat to the United States and that everything from stopping U.S. investment in Chinese companies to banning Chinese purchases of American farmland should be on the table. 

"I can't think of a single threat greater than the Chinese Communist Party and what they're trying to do," Whitaker told "Just the News, No Noise" on Tuesday. 

"If we're going to allow China to essentially take our money that we give them which is about $325 billion and a trade surplus to their benefit, and then pour that in and essentially let them buy our country out from under us, I think that's bad policy," he said. 

Another way to hold China accountable is to have individual states take action, Whitaker suggested. 

"In Iowa, we prevent corporate ownership and foreign national ownership of agriculture land," Whitaker said. "A lot of states don't."

Other states that limit or ban foreign countries such as China from purchasing farmland include South Dakota and Indiana.