House bill would strip federal funding from colleges with alleged ties to Chinese Communist Party

FIRST ON FOX: New legislation introduced in the House of Representatives threatens federal funding for colleges and universities  working with organizations with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party. 

The Espionage Protection Act, authored by Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, would amend the National Security Act of 1947 to prohibit federal funding for intelligence programs at universities that maintain contractual or in-kind relationships with organizations tied to the CCP. 

“American citizens and or professors at these institutions would be compromised and would be doing highly sensitive research and the Chinese Communist Party could benefit from that illegally,” Fallon told Fox News Digital.

“There have been instances of this where they’re using their either trained assets for the Chinese Communist Party or they’re sympathetic – stealing highly sensitive research, biotechnology, etc. and bringing it back to Beijing,” he added.

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, is seen on the House steps of the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 6, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

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The legislation would revoke  federal funding for grant programs, including: Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence, Intelligence advanced research projects, undergraduate and graduate training, Stokes Scholarship Programs and SMART Scholarship for Service Program.

Fallon singled out  the Confucius Institute, a nonprofit educational funded by the CCP, for particular scrutiny. While the number of universities who work with the Confucius Institute has seen a dramatic decline due to funding threats in the past, the organization still works with a number of schools.

The Texas congressman also told Fox News Digital he supports an outright ban on student visas for Chinese nationals.

A Riverside County school district in California is under investigation for allegedly issuing invalid diplomas to nonresident Chinese students and engaging in possible financial misconduct, according to a lengthy audit that found potential fraud and unlawful financial practices. (FoxDIGITAL/iStock)

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“It would wholly take away one of the major concerns, which would be with Chinese students coming over and stealing technologies and other sensitive data… so it definitely needs to be explored and looked into,” he said. 

The debate around whether Chinese students should be allowed in U.S. schools has created some divide within the GOP. In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, President Donald Trump said an outright ban could damage relations between Beijing and D.C., and discussed some of the benefits of allowing Chinese professionals  into the country.

“I frankly think that it’s good that people come from other countries and they learn our culture and many of them want to stay here,” Trump said following his meeting with President Xi Jinping last month.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump meet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Kenny Holston/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump noted that the idea of letting Chinese students in U.S. schools “doesn’t sound like a very conservative position – and I’m a conservative… commonsense guy. I think MAGA is common sense.”

Xi and  rump met in Beijing last month, where Trump described the meeting as “incredible” and “very successful,” despite the traditional rift between the two world powers. 

Trump’s  comments about Chinese students in the U.S. sparked some backlash from members of the GOP who take a hard line position on immigration, including former Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

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“Trump says it’s insulting to tell China their students can’t go to our universities, imagine being an American student and receiving a rejection letter while 500,000 Chinese students get in,” Greene said to The New Republic.

The Trump administration says foreign student visa vetting will be a continued process rather than a one-time check. (iStock)

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was critical of the Trump administration’s stance on Chinese students last year, and signed legislation to block colleges from hiring students from China and other “countries of concern” in academic labs.

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The IIE Open Doors Report, which is sponsored by the State Department, estimates that more 260,000 Chinese students are in the U.S. as of the 2024-2025 academic school year. Most students hold F-1 visas, which don’t automatically expire upon graduation from a university. 

In April, Fallon announced that he was running for chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. If he wins, he said he plans to root out CCP influence in the U.S.