• 2 days ago
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.

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