'No American University Should Be Helping The Hidden Agenda Of The Chinese Communist Party': Walberg

3/26/2025

During debate on the House floor, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) spoke in support of HR 1048, the DETERRENT Act.

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Transcript

00:00Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield myself such time as I may consume.

00:06The gentleman is recognized.

00:08Thank you. I rise today in support of H.R. 1048. Foreign nations, including our biggest adversaries

00:18like Chinese Communist Party, contribute to billions, billions of dollars to American

00:23universities. The lack of transparency around foreign relationships should concern every

00:30American as we see stolen research, anti-Semitic propaganda, and academic censorship. None of

00:39these things belong inside our borders, yet alone on our college campuses. By establishing footholds

00:47in American schools, bad actors gain access to valuable research and intellectual property.

00:54That can be used to bolster their own military and undermine our nation's best interests.

01:01Under the Higher Education Act, schools are required to report foreign gifts and funding.

01:08Unfortunately, loose legislative language, the Biden-Harris administration's inaction,

01:16and colleges' refusal to adhere to the laws have resulted in billions of foreign funds

01:23infiltrating our country undetected. Last year, a congressional investigation of two

01:30research universities uncovered nearly $40 million in unreported research contracts

01:37with the Chinese Communist Party. $40 million in unreported funds at just two universities.

01:46Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Without transparency, we have no idea

01:52the true amount of impact of foreign funds at our institutions. This is why we need the

01:59Deterrence Act. It closes these loopholes and has more strict reporting requirements

02:06for foreign funding and contracts. It also will hold institutions accountable by imposing fines,

02:12such as the loss of student aid funding, for schools that continually fail to comply.

02:20This bipartisan bill is a common-sense solution to an irrefutable problem, which is why it passed

02:27last Congress with bipartisan support. We should be loud and clear. No American university should

02:35be helping the hidden agendas of the Chinese Communist Party or other nations continue to

02:42threaten U.S. national security. I thank Mr. Baumgartner for introducing this vital piece

02:49of legislation. I'd also like to highlight that the deterrent includes bills from my committee

02:55colleagues, Representative Harris, Representative Owens, and Representative Messmer. I urge my

03:01colleagues to support the Deterrent Act. Doing so will help defend against our adversaries,

03:07while also holding our institutions to a higher standard that take foreign money first,

03:14ask questions later, is not the way to go. I reserve the balance of my time.

'No American University Should Be Helping The Hidden Agenda Of The Chinese Communist Party': Walberg

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