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Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Rob Portman (R-OH) reintroduced the Foreign Influence Transparency Act, which would require organizations, such as the Chinese government-run programs known as Confucius Institutes, to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The legislation also amends the Higher Education Act to require universities to disclose donations, contracts, or the fair market value of in-kind gifts, from any foreign source if the amount is $50,000 or greater. 

“The American people should know when they are dealing with an agent of a foreign government, and this legislation will bring greater transparency to the activities of foreign nations operating in the United States,” Rubio said. “By forcing agents of foreign governments to register with the Department of Justice, this legislation would close loopholes in current law that allow the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate our colleges and universities through Confucius Institutes.”

“If we want free speech and honest debate on college campuses, then we need to know when other countries are pushing their interests on U.S. soil,” Cotton said. “Requiring organizations like Confucius Institutes to register their activities with the Justice Department and disclose where they get their money is necessary to alert college students to the malign influence of foreign propaganda.”

“I am pleased to join Senators Rubio and Cotton in introducing this important legislation to increase transparency on our college and university campuses concerning foreign funding,” Portman said. “The fact that U.S. schools failed to report $6.5 billion in foreign funding, and that the Department of Education failed to enforce the law, is unacceptable. China has routinely exploited this lack of transparency by controlling, funding, and staffing Confucius Institutes at campuses across our country. Chinese teachers at U.S. Confucius Institutes pledge to the Chinese government that they will follow Chinese law and ‘conscientiously safeguard China’s national interests.’ We cannot allow this stunning lack of transparency to continue.”

Related:

• May 3, 2019: Rubio Applauds DOD Decision to Deny Funds to American Universities that Have Agreements with Chinese Run Confucius Institutes
• May 9, 2018: Rubio Challenges Florida Schools with Confucius Institutes to Hold Open Discussions on Issues “Too Sensitive” for Chinese Government
• March 21, 2018: Rubio, Cotton, Wilson Introduce the Foreign Influence Transparency Act
• February 5, 2018: Rubio Warns of Beijing’s Growing Influence, Urges Florida Schools to Terminate Confucius Institute Agreements