James Comer, Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has partnered with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to uncover deep CCP ties within the Nature Conservancy, a Biden-funded NGO that has allegedly worked with the Chinese Communist Party on American land acquisition deals.
For context, Chairman Comer sent Secretary Hegseth a letter on April 17, 2025, that revealed shocking details about the apparent links between the NGO and the Chinese government, highlighting the Nature Conservancy’s business connections in China and arguing that they could pose as a threat to American security.
In the letter, Chairman Comer told Secretary Hegseth that he believed that there was sufficient evidence to believe that the Nature Conservancy had CCP ties, saying, “Employees of The Nature Conservancy’s China Program have held positions within the CCP, including roles at the Chinese People’s Political Consultive Conference, the United Front Working Department, China’s State Economic and Trade Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.”
Continuing, Chairman Comer asserted that the Nature Conservancy, which is an outgrowth of the Biden Administration’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program (REPI), was subject to CCP “influence campaigns,” which he said “seek to ‘advance China’s international ambitions through non- state channels, focusing on subnational foreign governments, political figures, and non- governmental organizations.'”
Moving on, Comer shed more light on the potential influence of the CCP within REPI organizations like the Nature Conservancy, saying, “This effort is part of United Front work, ‘a strategy through which the CCP seeks to influence the political climate at large.'” He continued, “The Committee also found that two additional organizations listed as partners on the Department’s REPI website—Rio Tinto and Rayonier—appear to have offices in the PRC or have worked with organizations affiliated with the CCP.”
Concluding his letter, Chairman Comer urged Secretary Hegseth to investigate REPI and the Nature Conservancy further and root out any ties to the CCP, saying, “In light of these concerns, the Committee requests a staff-level briefing on security risks and mitigation for REPI partnerships.” He added, “The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the principal oversight committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate ‘any matter’ at ‘any time’ under House Rule X.”
The letter from Chairman Comer reached Secretary Hegseth just over a week after the House Select Committee on the CCP urged Hegseth, along with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, to examine “risks associated with robotics manufacturers from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that pose a growing national security threat through direct support to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).”
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Continuing in a May 6, 2025, letter, the committee wrote that America’s partnerships with Chinese robotics companies like Unitree pose an “urgent risk” to U.S. cybersecurity, saying, “Your agencies have the authority to address this threat. We urge immediate investigation and, as appropriate, corresponding designations to prevent further utilization of PLA-linked technology in critical U.S. infrastructure and security systems.”
Featured image credit: Secretary Pete Hegseth via X