Committee GOP Advances Bill to Jeopardize Global Research Partnerships
Committee Republicans Reject Commonsense Proposals to Help Colleges and Universities Prevent Undue Foreign Influence
WASHINGTON – Today, Committee Republicans advanced legislation that fails to meaningfully prevent undue foreign influence and intellectual property theft at colleges and universities while jeopardizing critical global research partnerships.
H.R. 5933, the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act, adds new and onerous reporting requirements under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act that will make it harder for colleges and universities to be transparent about their partnerships with other countries. These requirements, which conflict with the work federal agencies are already doing to protect America’s research and development initiatives, will disincentivize institutions from continuing critical research partnerships that have a global benefit.
“We can all agree that institutions must be transparent about the resources they receive from foreign entities,” said Ranking Member Scott. “Unfortunately, after weeks of Republican-led dysfunction that immobilized the House, we are taking up a bill that fails to meaningfully address research security at our higher education institutions. This bill will hinder institutions from continuing to conduct critical research that has a global impact as well as limit their ability to function as the social, economic, and innovative hubs for which they are known. We can—and must—take targeted, evidence-based steps to protect our research and development initiatives without jeopardizing the global partnerships that benefit us all.”
Committee Republicans rejected several proposals that would provide colleges and universities with a clearer and more reasonable process—consistent with the Biden administration’s broader effort to deter undue foreign influence across the federal government—to report foreign funding and comply with Section 117.
Read Ranking Member Scott’s opening statement here.
Read Democratic amendments and letters of opposition to H.R. 5933 here.
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