Several schools in the US host the Confucius Institute, a language and cultural program sponsored by the CCP.
On May 7, the House of Representatives passed a bill prohibiting the Department of Homeland Security from providing grants to universities affiliated with Chinese-controlled Communist Party of China (CCP) entities.
The Chamber of Commerce passed HR 881 by the vote between 266 and 153. All Republicans, along with 55 Democrats, voted for the bipartisan law.
US schools hosting Confuc Institutes are already prohibited from receiving Department of Defense funds.
“The (CCP) harnessed the open and cooperative nature of American academia to carry out extensive industrial military spying in the United States,” Rep. Virginia Fox (RN.C.) said during a discussion by the House Rules Committee on the May 5th bill.
The bill also prohibits universities and universities from contracting with China’s Thousand Talent Programs, or with any entities associated with the country’s military, police, or intelligence agency, or its Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
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“The Institute of Higher Education may regain eligibility for these funds upon the end of the relationship,” the resolution reads.
The University of Michigan, the University of California, Belkeley and Georgia Tech recently cut off CCP-related entities’ relationships and hosting.
This proposal has been debated for years. The House passed that version last year, but Democrats and then President Joe Biden said the measure was overly widespread and should not disqualify schools from receiving federal disaster aid managed by Homeland Security.
Rep. Benny Thompson (D-Miss.), who co-authored the bill, said the new version of the bill includes providing technical assistance to help schools comply with regulations, and an exemption for higher education institutions to participate in Chinese organizations in limited circumstances if cooperation is “in national interest.”
The vote will take place 10 days after the University of California, Burkelly University, announced it is under investigation as it dates back to 2023 and is not reporting hundreds of millions of dollars in donations from China-related entities allegedly sharing information about “critical technologies.”
FOXX said that only a handful of universities currently have partnerships with CCP’s Confucius Institute, but 43 of the 74 schools involved in the program in the past still maintain relationships with Chinese peers they have met.
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) said protecting U.S. higher education from foreign influence is a “largely resolved issue,” and Republicans are wasting time on the law rather than addressing more pressing issues.
“But if my colleague beat a dead horse to score some talk points since there is no consequence law on the floor this week, enjoy yourself.”
Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) said additional Congressional actions, such as the bill, are necessary to protect the United States from spying and to stop China from stealing US occupational secrets and intellectual property.
“The Chinese Communist Party does not share our interests or values,” he said during a discussion on the measures on May 6th.
“The Chinese Communist Party is no longer an economic enemy. They are enemies.”
Last month, President Donald Trump highlighted an executive order that underscores existing federal regulations requiring universities and universities to report foreign contributions of more than $250,000 twice a year. Education Department Linda McMahon has accused Biden of “turning a blind eye to the university’s legal obligations.”
