Garden State Times

Amid growing concerns about unidentified drones in New Jersey, Senator Doug Steinhardt has criticized Trenton Democrats for not advancing his proposed legislation aimed at restricting foreign ownership of agricultural land. The call for action comes after House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul suggested that some of these drones might be Chinese spy drones.

"The recent mysterious drone sightings across New Jersey have blown a hole in our national security conversations," said Sen. Steinhardt. "Now that there is speculation that some of these drones could be Chinese spy drones, we cannot wait any longer to protect our agricultural and military assets. I am calling on Trenton Democrats and Governor Murphy to take immediate action on my bill to restrict all ownership of agricultural land in New Jersey by hostile foreign governments to ensure our agricultural lands do not fall under the control of hostile foreign governments."

Senator Steinhardt initially introduced this legislation in January 2023 through an op-ed. He reintroduced it during the 2024-2025 legislative session as S-723, but it has yet to progress in either session due to a lack of movement from Democrats.