Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I will respond to the gentleman by saying that the Confucius Institutes are indeed a threat. They have actively rebranded their efforts and are alive and well on university campuses across the United States, and Congress has not been able to keep up in combating these new entities because of the rapidly evolving nature of these threats. There is little to no transparency from universities in what type of assistance they receive from the PRC. This is about taxpayer dollars. This is about taxpayer dollars flowing from the Department of Homeland Security to institutions of higher education in this country that are maintaining relationships with Confucius Institutes or Chinese entities of concern, and we owe it to taxpayers to ensure that their dollars are not going to further Chinese soft-power influence in this country. Over $3 billion has flowed from entities connected to the PRC and CCP to universities in the United States between 2020 and 2023. Mr. Chair, I think it is high time we take action. I urge support for the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.”