Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, today I introduced the Foreign Influence Transparency Act, which requires organizations, such as the Confucius Institute, to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, FARA, if they promote the political agenda of a foreign country. The goal of this legislation is to increase transparency between foreign governments, universities, and students. Americans have the right to know if they are consuming propaganda that is produced by a foreign government. Currently, FARA contains a technicality that allows foreign governments or organizations to push their political agenda under the facade of an ``academic pursuit.'' The Foreign Influence Transparency Act will clarify the intent and ensure that all propaganda funded by foreign governments at least contains a disclaimer. The Foreign Influence Transparency Act also decreases the monetary threshold of foreign donations that universities are required to disclose. Currently, universities only report on donations they receive of $250,000 or more, while organizations, such as the Confucius Institute, operate below that level. This results in a lack of disclosure to students and parents. The goal of this legislation is simple, and that is to create transparency through disclosure. In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism. ____________________”