House passes legislation to combat China's influence on higher education in America

The House recently passed legislation to combat the Chinese Communist Party's influence on higher education in America. 

“I applaud the passage of Chairman Pfluger’s bill to protect our campuses from the propaganda and espionage used by the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate academia and undermine our sovereignty," Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R, Tenn., said in a press release. 

The House on Tuesday passed the “DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act,” also called H.R. 1516.

China has been a major concern of the U.S. for the past few years. 

Recently, a former aide to Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was arrested and charged with serving as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government, according to federal prosecutors.

“The Chinese Community Party is utilizing Confucius Institutes to infiltrate American university campuses and engage in espionage, steal intellectual property, intimidate Chinese dissidents, promote communist propaganda, and funnel sensitive information back to the People’s Liberation Army. This bill protects students and universities while ensuring that American dollars are not enabling foreign malign influence," Congressman August Pfluger, R-Texas, said.