Pfluger Bill Ending Chinese Infiltration of Universities Passes U.S. House

"Thank you, Chairman/Madam Chair for recognizing me today to speak on my bill H.R. 1516, the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act.

Our nation’s most glaring national security threat, the Chinese Communist Party, is using every tool at their disposal to undermine our nation’s standing in the world and establish themselves as the premier global leader.  

For years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), in conjunction with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), has exploited the open and collaborative nature of American academia to conduct widespread industrial and military espionage inside the United States. 

Established in 2004, various academic institutions across the country organized Confucius Institutes as a way to promote Chinese language and culture, support local Chinese teaching internationally, and facilitate cultural exchanges on campus.

However, it quickly became apparent that Confucius Institutes were nothing more than a Trojan horse acting as an extension of the CCP’s global influence apparatus.

These operations have allowed the CCP to have an immense impact on the decisions made by academic institutions, enabled individuals to spy for the CCP on activities across the country, and promote the CCP’s aggressive national strategy, most commonly known as Military-Civil Fusion, to help the PRC develop the most technologically advanced military in the world by the year 2049. 

Thankfully, our society has somewhat woken up to these dangers and Congress has taken steps to correct this dangerous course over the last few years.

The FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act prohibited DOD funding from going to institutions of higher education that host Confucius Institutes, and it is time for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to follow suit. 

We must make every effort to protect Americans’ tax dollars from being used to fund the CCP’s nefarious activities and ensure that institutions within the United States are operating without undue influence from the CCP. 

The legislation we are discussing today, H.R. 1516, the “DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes Act”, ensures that schools prioritize the security of their scientific research and technological development efforts above a paycheck from the CCP or entities affiliated with the CCP or PLA. 

Specifically, this legislation restricts DHS funding from going to universities who maintain relationships with entities connected to the CCP or support the PRC’s Military-Civil Fusion programs. 

This bill safeguards taxpayer dollars by ensuring that they are appropriately used and encourages universities to end relationships with partners who do not have America’s best interest in mind. 

More importantly, this bill is a step in guaranteeing that U.S. institutions are free of the CCP’s malign influence, protects students and faculty who speak out against the CCP’s nefarious activities, and ensures universities and colleges remain safe from having their research and development stolen by the PRC. 

Many of my colleagues will argue today that this bill is not the same bill passed out of Committee last Congress.

They are correct. H.R. 1516 is far stronger than that bill. 

Since the beginning of this Congress, we have seen multiple instances of the dangers the CCP poses to the United States.

From flying a surveillance balloon across the continental United States to DOJ indicting individuals working at the highest levels of government within the state of New York, our nation must take bold and decisive action to combat the CCP’s growing influence. This bill accomplishes that goal.

Furthermore, I worked in good faith last Congress to advance this bill to the floor, and instead the majority chose to let it die. 

If my Democrat colleagues at the time were that concerned with combatting the CCP’s malign influence on college campuses, they would have passed by bill.

You will hear arguments that this bill will strip critical funding from HBCUs, MSIs, and HSIs.

That is inherently false. I have multiple universities in my district that are MSIs and HSIs. All of these universities have made the conscious decision not to accept money that has links to the CCP. 

Since the prohibition of DOD funding to universities with Confucius Institutes, almost all universities have voluntary suspended their ties to entities connected with the CCP and have found alternative programs that provide the same cultural and educational opportunities that were advertised through Confucius Institutes.

There will be individuals who bring up the fact that there are only five known Confucius Institutes left in the United States and that they are no longer a threat. 

That is simply untrue. The CCP has worked to rebrand their “educational” efforts and are operating in full force on college campuses across the U.S.

There is little to no transparency from universities in what type of assistance they receive from the PRC. Data collected by the Department of Education from June 22, 2020, to April 6, 2023, shows that universities in the United States have collected over $3.8 billion from entities connected to the PRC and the CCP. 

Some will argue that this bill is too restrictive because it does not include language that allows the DHS Secretary to have a waiver.

According to GAO, the Secretary of Defense has NEVER issued a waiver under the 2022 ban on DOD funding going to universities with a Confucius Institute.

This proves that the waiver is unnecessary and that universities are already working to sever ties with the CCP.

Lastly, the PRC’s 2017 National Intelligence Law obligates individuals, organizations, and institutions to assist the PRC security and intelligence services in advancing a wide variety of intelligence work.

This means that any U.S. institute of higher education that enters into an agreement with a Confucius Institute or an entity of concern linked to the PLA or CCP is required to knowingly or unknowingly share their information with the Chinese Communist Party.

We cannot allow these actions to continue, and this bill is a step in the right direction in correcting course.

All of us in this room should be clear-eyed and united in combatting the greatest national security threat that our nation faces. For these reasons, I hope that everyone here and on the House floor supports my legislation.

I thank Chairman Green for bringing this bill up for markup, and all my colleagues who have cosponsored this legislation. 

I look forward to the debate on this measure. 

I yield."