‘Undisclosed and unmonitored financial relationships between U.S. academia and the CCP are glaring national security risks,’ Sen. Tom Cotton said.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate schools that have alleged ties with China’s communist regime amid concerns over Chinese infiltration into the U.S. education system.
Threat to US Academia
Last year, former Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), then chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP, warned about the CCP’s threat to U.S. education in a speech to 70 university presidents at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Universities.
“For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has exploited the very openness at the heart of American society, and our higher education system in particular, twisting this strength to the Party’s own advantage,” he said.
“The Party’s goal is not mutual benefit. The CCP’s goal is to leverage technological advances, spread its coercive influence, and enmesh dependencies to strengthen its international position while eroding ours.”
Transnational Repression on US Campuses
A January report by Freedom House found, “The biggest threat to international students and scholars studying and working in the United States is the government of China.”
According to the report, authoritarian regimes use tools to intimidate, harass, and monitor international students, scholars, and faculty to suppress criticism across U.S. campuses.
CCP’s Influence on US K-12 Schools
Last year, the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee held a hearing titled “Academic Freedom Under Attack: Loosening the CCP’s Grip on America’s Classrooms.” The hearing revealed the CCP’s aggressive influence on U.S. K-12 schools.
“The CCP is the greatest threat to America’s security today. The CCP’s involvement in the K-12 education system further demonstrates how far the Chinese government is willing to go to expand its influence and promote its authoritarian agenda,” the senators wrote.
“We cannot sit idle and allow this expansion of CCP propaganda. Parents deserve transparency and policymakers must know the extent of the problem so we can work on solutions to protect both our students and our national security.”