In 2018, Congress expanded the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, and its largest division is now looking at deals that have already been completed to make sure none got through that shouldn’t have. David R. Hanke, the primary staff architect of FIRRMA, told Marketplace that, “The pandemic has expanded the focus of CFIUS to consider things that previously might not have been thought of as national security.” This includes pharmaceuticals and real estate, which could be near sensitive sites. Marketplace added that the “increased scrutiny has led to an intended chilling effect. Chinese foreign direct investment in the U.S. has slowed since 2016.”
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