WASHINGTON—The House passed a bill to reduce Chinese influence in U.S. universities on Sept. 10, the second day of “China Week,” a week the House Republican leadership designated to push through a package of China-related legislation.
Any universities that host Confucius Institutes are already banned from receiving funding from the Department of Defense, and Pfluger said on the House floor that the DHS should follow suit.
“You’re either going to take a step in support of the strength of the United States and push back on the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] and rightfully identify that they want to undermine us in every single area—militarily, information-wise, diplomatically and economically—or you’re going to be on the side of somebody else’s security,” he said.
Confucius Institutes are funded by the CCP, which picks and pays for textbooks and selects and pays Chinese nationals who come to the United States to teach Chinese language, culture, and history.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) spoke against the bill, saying the language was too broad to ban all types of DHS funding, including disaster relief, for all U.S. colleges that receive money from China.
“The administration appreciates Congress’s efforts to ensure that DHS funding is made available only to partners that advance U.S. interests, homeland security, and democratic norms,“ the statement reads. ”However, there may be more appropriate ways to prevent DHS funding from being directed toward academic institutions that are vulnerable to the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] increasing monetary influence.”
The bill passed later in the afternoon with a vote of 249–161, with most representatives voting on party lines. Thirty-six Democrats voted for the bill.
The amended version narrowed down the definition of Chinese entities of concern to those that assist in the persecution of Uyghur Muslims, work against U.S.–Taiwan relations, or take part in the Thousand Talents Program, a Chinese initiative to attract talent with critical military technology.
Only receiving funding from these Chinese entities of concern will disqualify an American higher education institution from receiving DHS funding.
The amended version also requires the secretary of homeland security to report to Congress any colleges among DHS grant recipients that work with a Confucius Institute or Chinese entity of concern.
After the passage of his bill, Pfluger wrote in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times that the CCP is using Confucius Institutes to “infiltrate American university campuses and engage in espionage, steal intellectual property, intimidate Chinese dissidents, promote communist propaganda, and funnel sensitive information back to the People’s Liberation Army.”
“This bill protects students and universities while ensuring that American dollars are not enabling foreign malign influence,” he said.
The bill passed shortly after a prominent U.S. university cut ties with the CCP.
The university cited its “extensive role in national security” and the fact that the Commerce Department has blacklisted Tianjin University since December 2020 as reasons to pull the plug on the institute in China.
Current students can still graduate through the program.
“I appreciate Georgia Tech’s productive engagement with the committee’s investigation and look forward to continuing to work with Georgia Tech as they proceed with the termination,” he said.
The congressman also called for other colleges with similar ties to consider their potential effects.
“It is my hope that other American institutions of higher learning who have similar arrangements with Chinese institutions will pay close attention here and likewise think hard about the impact their pursuits in China are having on America’s long-term national security,” he said.
