Republicans Rip Biden For Abandoning Plan To Track Chinese Influence On College Campuses

Two Republican Senators criticized President Joe Biden for quietly withdrawing a Trump-era rule that would require American universities to disclose their ties with the Chinese Communist Party. 

According to a report by Campus Reform, records from the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs show that the Biden administration dismissed the disclosure rule on Jan. 26. A spokesperson for the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office confirmed that the policy had been rescinded. 

The Daily Wire reported: 

The Trump administration submitted a rule at the very end of last year titled: “Establishing Requirement for Student and Exchange Visitor Program Certified Schools to Disclose Agreements with Confucius Institutes and Classrooms.”

According to Axios, “the rule would require colleges and K-12 schools that are certified to have foreign exchange programs to disclose any contracts, partnerships or financial transactions from Confucius Institutes for Classrooms.”

The rule was submitted to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. 

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) condemned the Biden administration’s policy move. In a statement, Cotton blamed the Biden administration for allowing foreign influence to operate on college campuses. 

“Confucius Institutes are front groups for the Chinese Communist Party on American campuses,” Cotton said. “The federal government ought to shut down these regime-run institutes or, at a minimum, require colleges to disclose their secret agreements with them. Instead, the Biden administration is allowing a foreign influence operation to continue in the shadows.”

A Washington Free Beacon review of federal records found that more than 100 United States universities have Confucius Institutes. Confucius Institutes are Chinese government-backed programs that push Chinese Communist propaganda on American students. 

In a tweet, Rubio insinuated that the new administration was ignoring FBI guidance. 

“[The] FBI has warned about China’s Communist Party using Confucius Institute[s] to infiltrate American schools,” Rubio tweeted. “But now Biden quietly withdrawn [sic] rule proposed by [the] Trump admin to require schools [and] universities to disclose their partnerships with these agents of Chinese [government] influence.” 

.@FBI has warned about #China‘s Communist Party using #ConfuciusInstitute to infiltrate American schools

But now Biden quietly withdrawn rule proposed by Trump admin to require schools & universities to disclose their partnerships with these agents of Chinese govt influence

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 9, 2021

Cotton and Rubio are skeptical of the Chinese government’s influence on American campuses as universities have increasingly worked to cover up donations from China and other hostile nations. According to a report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, nearly 70 percent of schools that received more than $250,000 from organizations related to the Chinese government underreported their funding as legally required. 

Data from the Department of Education shows that several top-tier universities, including Ivy League institutions, failed to report more than $3 billion in foreign gifts and funds, much of which came from China. A report from the Clarion Project found that between 2014 and 2019 universities reported a total of $11 billion in foreign donations, though the true number is over $14 billion. 

Some of the biggest offenders include Cornell University, Texas A&M University, the University of Colorado-Boulder, and Yale University. 

The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member. 

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases