GOP Bill Would Ban Pentagon Funding Universities Hosting China-Linked Confucius Institute
A pair of Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill that would block the Pentagon from funding universities that host the Confucius Institutes (CIs), a cultural exchange program with ties to the Chinese communist regime.
On Wednesday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced a bill called the “No Federal Funding for CCP Spying and Persuasion In Education Settings (SPIES) Act.” The bill (pdf) would expand an existing prohibition on federal funding for CIs.
The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) barred the Department of Defense from providing funds to institutions of higher education that host the CIs. However, the bill did allow the Secretary of Defense to grant waivers. Banks and Rubio’s bill would close down that waiver process….