Today, Republican Leader of the Education and Labor Committee Virginia Foxx (R-NC), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Republican Leader of the Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul (R-TX), and Republican Leader of the Homeland Security Committee John Katko (R-NY) sent a letter to President Biden urging the administration to resubmit a previously proposed rule that would protect U.S. education institutions from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Confucius Institutes and the many threats they pose.
In the letter, the Members write:“Among the multitude of threats we face stemming from China, the CCP’s abuse of America’s academic system to steal sensitive research and technology, limit free expression, and propagandize our students is of particular concern. Confucius Institutes (CIs) are one element of this threat to American academia…” The Members continue:“…the integrity of the U.S. academic system should be a priority, and we urge your administration to resubmit the rule as soon as possible. We would likewise welcome engaging with your administration to forge bipartisan, whole-of-government solutions to CCP threats to U.S. education and research integrity.”
BACKGROUND: The Trump administration proposed a new rule requiring schools participating in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program to disclose any contracts, partnerships, or financial transactions with Confucius Institutes in an effort to combat the CCP’s generational threat on American education. Today’s letter follows last week’s action from the Biden administration to withdraw the proposed rule, allowing the CCP’s threat to persist.
To read the full letter to President Biden, click here.
