The infiltration of the American education system by China has been a concern among Republicans, as many examples have demonstrated. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) recently spearheaded a letter with Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) demanding the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate colleges and universities with Chinese ties and provide a counterstrategy.
"We write regarding reports that American institutions of higher education (IHEs) are failing to disclose financial ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Efforts to conceal CCP attempts to influence American students and steal intellectual property threaten our national security," Sen. Scott's letter began before detailing instances of institutions knowingly working with China through unauthorized means.
In October, Stanford University was forced to pay a $1.9 million fine after failing to disclose that twelve of its faculty members were receiving money from foreign sources, such as China. More recently, in July, the University of Maryland was caught doing the same thing, failing to disclose that research was being funded by Chinese companies like Alibaba and Huawei, and forced to pay a $500,000 fine.
"Undisclosed and unmonitored financial relationships between U.S. academia and the CCP are glaring national security risks. Such relationships leave the U.S. vulnerable to intellectual property theft, improper influence, and even espionage. It is imperative that DOJ take additional steps to swiftly address this concern," Sen. Scott continued.
As a result, the letter demanded that DOJ Attorney General Merrick Garland provide answers on how often colleges and universities violate the False Claims Act, how the DOJ is fighting China's infiltration of American institutions, and how it is cooperating with other agencies, such as the Department of Defense (DOD), to do so.
Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has taken action against China influencing our education system at the state level, signing legislation in September that revoked scholarships from schools with ties to the CCP.
"The Chinese Communist Party is not welcome in the state of Florida. We will not put up with any attempt to influence students with a communist ideology or allow Floridians' tax dollars to go to schools that are connected to our foreign adversaries," said Gov. DeSantis.
