[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 63 (Monday, April 17, 2023)] [House] [Pages H1751-H1755] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-17
Chamber: HOUSE
Ms. FOXX: I thank Congressman Bean for his leadership on the Education and the Workforce Committee and also his leadership in leading this Special Order tonight. It is a very important issue to the people of the United States, and I am very proud of him for taking the leadership and putting this Special Order together. Mr. Speaker, we are engaged in a new era of warfare with our foreign adversaries who are vying for influence and control not only over America but especially over America's postsecondary education system. Losing on this 21st century battleground has serious consequences for free thought, economic competitiveness, and national security. Foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party have used power and monetary influence to infiltrate colleges and universities to grow their sphere of influence in American society. Mr. Speaker, make no mistake: When we talk about China and its exertion of force and its exertion of power, we are not talking about the Chinese people. We are talking about the Chinese Communist Party, the CCP. So let us be clear on that tonight so that nobody mistakes who we see as the enemy. It is the Chinese Communist Party. At face value, foreign contributions coming into universities might seem harmless, but the reality is foreign money often comes with strings attached. We know with the CCP, there are always strings attached. Every dollar that institutions accept from undisclosed foreign entities that do not share our Nation's values sends them deeper into a dangerous entanglement that undermines our Republic. For years, this influence scheme has been going on, yet neither the Chinese Communist Party nor institutions of higher education have faced repercussions for their actions. Indeed, during the Trump administration, it discovered $6.5 billion in previously unreported foreign money to universities from adversarial countries. For the first time, real progress was being made to hold institutions accountable for undisclosed contributions. But mysteriously, when the Biden administration came into office, all progress toward discovering these contributions stopped. The Department of Education is shirking its duty to enforce the law and has abandoned robust scrutiny of undisclosed foreign gifts and contracts that violate section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Mr. Speaker, we have known since 1965 that the potential for damage done to our institutions through foreign contributions was possible. Section 117 is the single most important enforcement tool at the Biden administration's disposal to protect against the threats posed by our foreign adversaries attempting to steal research and buy off students and faculty on our Nation's campuses.  Republicans have sent multiple letters to Secretary Cardona demanding answers about this foreign money. Yet, this administration continues its pattern of stonewalling Congress with limited and woefully insufficient responses. This is a part of Congress' oversight responsibility, Mr. Speaker, and is not being done on a whim. It is unacceptable that the Biden administration has exercised minimal effort to expose the lack of integrity happening at so-called ``elite'' institutions. The possible consequences of the department's limited engagement are dire. Section 117 is effective only if it is enforced. That is why congressional oversight is necessary to hold the Department of Education accountable to enforce the law. We must fight money and coercion beginning with accountability and transparency. Without accountability and transparency, the Chinese Communist Party could win this new-age battle because America has been fighting with one hand tied behind its back. Mr. Speaker, I say: No more. My Republican colleagues and I will not stop until we see rigorous enforcement of section 117 that hold the universities responsible and hold the Chinese Communist Party responsible for what it may be trying to do.