On Tuesday, September 10th, the United States House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at prohibiting funds from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to flow to American universities hosting Confucius Institutes, in an effort to block the Chinese Communist Party’s infiltration into higher education in the United States.
The bill, known as H.R.1516, stipulates that starting from the first fiscal year 12 months after the enactment of the bill, the Secretary of Homeland Security must ensure that higher education institutions with ties to Confucius Institutes or concerning Chinese entities are not eligible to receive any funds from the Department of Homeland Security unless they terminate their relationships with the Confucius Institutes or Chinese entities.
The legislation defines “concerning Chinese entities” as those involved in receiving funding from the Chinese Communist military, or supporting Chinese military, police, or intelligence activities in universities or colleges.
The bill is named the “DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act” and was initially introduced in March 9, 2023, by Republican federal Representative August Pfluger from Texas and twelve other Representatives, and submitted it for review to the House Homeland Security Committee.
At the end of last year, six other Representatives joined as co-sponsors of the bill, including Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul.
After some amendments to the bill, it was passed with a vote of 249 to 161 by the Representatives. The bill will now be sent to the Senate for review and voting.
The sponsor of the bill, Pfluger, who is also the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Enforcement, and Intelligence, expressed that “the Chinese Communist Party is exploiting Confucius Institutes to penetrate American university campuses, engage in espionage, steal intellectual property, intimidate dissidents in China, propagate communist propaganda, and transmit sensitive information back to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.”
“This bill not only protects students and universities but also ensures that American funds do not fuel foreign malicious influences,” Pfluger stated.
“American higher education is continuously harmed by radical agendas and indoctrination,” said Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, “I commend Representative Pfluger for his leadership in preventing Chinese interference in American student education.”
Johnson added, “H.R. 1516 is crucial in protecting students from the harm of the Chinese (Communist) regime and its policies.”
Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Mark Green, also praised the passage of the bill.
Green stated, “This bill aims to protect our campuses from Chinese propaganda and espionage activities, which seek to infiltrate US academia and undermine our sovereignty.”
“The insidious ambitions of Beijing cannot be taken lightly, forgiven, or ignored – especially in our institutions of higher education and research. I urge the Senate to discuss and pass this vital bill to preserve American innovation and rightly cut off federal funds from colleges or universities maintaining ties with the Chinese Communist regime,” he said.
For years, hawks on China have been warning that the Chinese Communist Party seeks to influence American university students. They believe that universities are a critical period for American youth to form political ideologies and worldviews, making it especially important to take action to curb the malicious influence of the Chinese Communist Party.
This week is known as “China week” in the US Congress. Representatives will discuss and vote on a series of bills related to China. This series of bills is seen as the latest effort by Congress to address the threat posed by China.
On Tuesday, the House overwhelmingly passed the “Hong Kong Economic Trade Office Certification Act” with 413 votes in favor and 3 votes against.