The Grindr decision shows how CFIUS is adopting a more expansive view of national security. Between 19, CFIUS blocked only one transaction-but not counting the Grindr deal, it has helped block four deals since 2012. Yet between 20, more than 42 percent of covered transactions produced an investigation. Between 2005 to 2007, less than 5 percent of transactions filed to the agency resulted in a formal investigation to see if there was a problem. In recent years, however, CFIUS has become more suspicious of foreign acquisitions, in response to public and political concerns over China. military site, potentially compromising U.S. For example, in 2012 President Barack Obama, following CFIUS recommendations, ordered a Chinese company to divest its interest in an Oregon wind farm because the company was building wind turbines next to a U.S.
companies.ĬFIUS review used to focus on legalities and traditional national security threats. The Ford administration created CFIUS in 1975 to keep foreign investments from being politicized, at a time when Congress was worried about oil-rich nations’ investment in U.S. The decision on Grindr was issued by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States(CFIUS), a little-known government body that evaluates the national security implications of foreign investment in the United States.