WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator Rick Scott, joined by Senators Ted Budd and Ted Cruz, announced the reintroduction of the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act. This legislation will prevent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants from being awarded to American universities that have affiliations with Confucius Institutes (CIs) or any other entities with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which have been known for espionage and theft of American research and IP. This bill recently passed in the House of Representatives, where it is led by Congressman August Pfluger.

Senator Scott also wrote a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem calling for an end to federal funding for schools with CCP ties and outlined several of his other top priorities to protect America’s homeland.

Senator Rick Scott said, “For too long, Communist China has used every tool and resource at its disposal to spy on American citizens, undermine our economy, and steal American research, technology, and intellectual property. We’ve seen the CCP use Confucius Institutes and other programs to infiltrate universities and colleges, collect valuable and sensitive information, spread propaganda, and recruit for its Military-Civil Fusion. The United States and our higher education institutions cannot turn a blind eye while our adversaries use American research against us. Our bill, the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act stops American taxpayer grant dollars from funding any program that allows the CCP to spy on American citizens, steal our intellectual property, and risk our national security. I look forward to its passage by the Senate and becoming law under President Trump.”

Senator Ted Cruz said, “The Chinese Communist Party expends vast resources to control what Americans see, hear, and ultimately think — including by directly spreading propaganda and engaging in censorship targeting American students. These activities pose an acute threat to the national security of the United States. In 2018, I drafted and passed into law legislation that denied Defense Department funding to schools that hosted Confucius institutes, which ultimately got rid of most of them, and last year I secured into law language that prohibited the DOD from establishing and maintaining Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps programs at private schools with links to dangerous Chinese entities. I am proud to join with my colleagues on this bill, which gives DHS the authority to counter CCP efforts targeting students by prohibiting federal funds from being given to higher education institutions that have ties to similar, dangerous Chinese entities. The Senate should expeditiously take up and advance this bill.”

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