Marco Rubio was joined by Tom Cotton in this effort. Their concern springs from the rise of “Confucius Institutes” on college campuses which have been accused of peddling propaganda.
The Washington Examiner reports:
Senators to colleges: Reveal foreign agents on campusAmerican universities need to reveal “the malign influence of foreign propaganda” on campus, according to a trio of Republican lawmakers.Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., introduced legislation Wednesday that would require U.S. colleges and universities to disclose any foreign government donation of $50,000 or more, in addition to requiring foreign-run programs to register as foreign agents with the Justice Department. The bill was spurred by concerns about Chinese-backed entities known as Confucius Institutes operating on dozens of American campuses, but it applies broadly to all foreign governments.“If we want there to be free speech and honest debate on our college campuses, then we need more transparency around other countries’ efforts to push their interests on U.S. soil,” Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, who joined Rubio in proposing the bill, said Wednesday. “Requiring organizations like Confucius Institutes to register their activities with the Justice Department and disclose where they get their money is necessary to alert college students to the malign influence of foreign propaganda.”Rubio has been particularly focused on Confucius Institutes in recent months, urging Florida colleges and schools to end the programs. “These institutes are overseen by a branch of the Chinese Ministry of Education, and are instructed to only teach versions of Chinese history, culture or current events that are explicitly approved by the Chinese Government and Communist Party,” he warned in February.
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