Doug LaMalfa Sounds Alarm On 'Growing Threat' Of Foreign Influence At US Colleges And Universities

3/26/2025

During remarks on the House floor, Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) spoke about new regulations in foreign donations for universities.

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Transcript

00:00Mr. Speaker, foreign influence in American education, higher education especially, is

00:09a growing threat that cannot be ignored.

00:12For years, adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party have funneled billions into U.S. colleges

00:17and universities through undisclosed donations and contracts gaining influence over research,

00:25curriculum, and even campus policies.

00:28These backdoor financial arrangements jeopardize academic integrity and national security,

00:33allowing foreign governments to push their own agendas under the guise of educational

00:37partnerships.

00:39Foreign regimes, including the Chinese Communist Party, have capitalized on loopholes in the

00:44Higher Education Act to expand their influence.

00:48Many U.S. institutions fail to disclose foreign gifts as required, allowing foreign entities

00:53to quietly infiltrate and manipulate academic environments.

00:58The Deterrent Act, introduced by my colleague from Washington, Representative Baumgartner,

01:05takes a decisive stand against this threat by enhancing foreign gift and contract reporting

01:09requirements.

01:11By slashing the reporting threshold to just $50,000 and implementing an even stricter

01:16$0 threshold for countries and entities of concern, the bill ensures universities disclose

01:23all foreign funding, regardless of its size or source.

01:27Lowering that threshold will bring more and more of them into the light.

01:31So China alone has sent over $1 billion to U.S. universities in the past decade, much

01:37of it undisclosed until recently.

01:39These financial ties have been linked to research theft, censorship of critical discussions,

01:45and undue pressure on faculty and students.

01:48A congressional investigation uncovered nearly $40 million in unreported contracts between

01:54two top U.S. universities and the CCP.

01:58Foreign-backed research centers are often used as footholds for regimes to infiltrate

02:01American institutions, steal intellectual property, and push their political agendas.

02:08Some universities, either unknowingly or in pursuit of financial gain, have allowed foreign-funded

02:12centers to operate on campus, shaping curriculum, limiting academic freedom, and suppressing

02:18dissenting viewpoints.

02:20The Deterrent Act strengthens reporting requirements, ensures greater transparency to Congress and

02:24the public, and imposes strict penalties for noncompliance.

02:30It requires universities disclose foreign gifts and contracts to individual faculty

02:36members who are often the most targeted by adversarial regimes.

02:40It also holds private institutions accountable by revealing foreign investments in their

02:45endowments.

02:46With the current administration failing to investigate this growing threat, the Deterrent

02:51Act provides a necessary course correction, the previous administration having done so.

02:57Foreign influence not only threatens the integrity of academic research, but also compromises

03:01national security by giving adversarial governments access to sensitive technological advancements.

03:08These financial entanglements, if left unchecked, will continue to erode the independence of

03:12U.S. institutions, putting both intellectual freedom and national interests at risk.

03:18Higher education should be a place where students are taught how to think, not what to think,

03:22especially by foreign entities with their own agendas that go against the United States'

03:26interests.

03:27Increased oversight is essential to ensure that universities serve the interests of students

03:31and the nation, not those of adversarial regimes.

03:36So with the previous administration failing to take this step, the Deterrent Act is essential

03:41that we do that now.

03:42I yield back.

Doug LaMalfa Sounds Alarm On 'Growing Threat' Of Foreign Influence At US Colleges And Universities

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