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EXCLUSIVE: A bipartisan group of lawmakers is moving to crack down on foreign influence in American education by targeting universities’ financial ties to adversarial nations.
The package would ban federal funding to colleges that operate “branch” campuses in adversarial countries or accept research funding for sensitive fields like artificial intelligence, biotech and quantum computing. China, for example, has been a major source of foreign influence in American education through its Confucius Classrooms, which states like Oklahoma have cracked down on.
On a federal level, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., has taken the mantle of defending education against issues from foreign influence to antisemitism on campus; famously headlining a hearing after which UPenn’s then-president resigned amid pressure over her responses on the latter.
Stefanik again is out in front of an education protection endeavor, telling Digital she is part of a bicameral, bipartisan group focused on keeping foreign influence away from America’s young and growing minds.
“I introduced the No Branch Campuses in Hostile Countries Act with Senator Rick Scott, and this is part of the broader higher education reform effort that I have been leading on in the Congress,” Stefanik said in an exclusive interview.
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Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-NY, creates a viral moment during an education hearing. (Michael McCoy/Getty Images)
“One of the challenges that I’ve seen is the influence of foreign adversaries sowing discord on our higher education campuses. And part of this has been coming from the foreign dollars flowing in, but also the existence of branches in these foreign adversarial countries.”
She noted her home state of New York has major universities operating branch campuses in China, but said the problem extends beyond the Empire State to other top schools in Chicago, Washington and elsewhere.
Stefanik added that Confucius Institutes and classrooms were recently banned through the national defense bill, and that just as that effort was bipartisan, so is her second education security bill this week.
The Defending American Research Act prevents any institution of higher education from receiving federal research funding for five years if it receives funds from certain foreign countries including Qatar, Venezuela, Turkey and North Korea.
In Stefanik’s own book, “Poisoned Ivies,” she noted she dove into the topic of dangerous aspects of today’s campus life from foreign influence to antisemitism.
“[Ours] was the most viewed hearing in the history of Congress. It led to multiple university presidents’ resignations, but importantly, it set off an earthquake in higher education reform. There have been seismic shifts in higher-ed, both in the marketplace, as you’re seeing parents and students voting with their wallets and feet, as it’s shifted,” Stefanik said, adding that many American youth are seeking collegiate education at southern schools where the liberal northeast and west coast influence is more muted.
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A Chinese flag flies near the Capitol dome in Washington, D.C., amid new legislation targeting lobbying by former government officials for China. (Douglas Rissing/Getty Images)
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., are joining Stefanik in the effort, and Scott told Digital that America “has enemies” and should “start acting like it” when it comes to their influence on higher education.
“Countries like Communist China and terror-supporting Qatar should not be able to use America’s colleges and universities as outposts to spy on us, steal sensitive research, and spread anti-American propaganda, but we’ve been letting them do it for years,” Scott said.
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“This legislation is critical to America’s national security and the future of our higher education system — neither of which should be for sale.”
While the list includes more obvious entries like North Korea, Cuba and China, Qatar is also included, even as it remains a somewhat neutral or cooperative partner on national security concerns such as evacuations from Afghanistan and the Iran conflict.
However, Stefanik said when it comes to its influence on U.S. education, her research led her to “billions of dollars” from Doha appearing to prop up antisemitic interests and “pro-terror professors” at some universities including in her home state.
“I think that’s one of the major ways we need to push back on this foreign influence that’s really shifting away from the founding missions of these higher education institutions,” she said.
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Other nations on both bills’ lists include the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation.
The bill sponsors’ collective hope is that their measures will provide the leverage needed to force U.S. universities to cut ties with adversarial governments or risk their bottom line.
