GOP lawmaker says Dems blocked efforts to combat CCP-funded Confucius Institutes
House Democrats voted down an amendment that would have defunded schools hosting a Confucius Institute chapter, according to one Republican House lawmaker.
Similarly, the Biden administration recently axed a Trump-era rule that would have compelled universities to reveal all ties to the Chinese organization.
House Democrats blocked an amendment that would defund schools with a Confucius Institute, according to one Republican lawmaker. U.S. intelligence agencies have determined that such centers function as propaganda arms of the Chinese Communist Party.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said she proposed the budget amendment to the House Education and Labor Committee, which would have prevented federal taxpayer dollars from funding schools that support Confucius Institutes.
[RELATED: Here are the Chinese ‘propaganda’ centers currently operating in the US]
“Democrats blocked my proposal to stop taxpayer $$ going to institutions with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, which we know is censoring free speech, engaging in genocide, & influencing American academia!” said Rep. Stefanik on Twitter.
Democrats blocked my proposal to stop taxpayer $$ going to institutions with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, which we know is censoring free speech, engaging in genocide, & influencing American academia!
Democrats put China First and America LAST! ⬇️ https://t.co/NVkUyM9q7t— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) February 10, 2021
The amendment would have been added to Biden’s proposed COVID stimulus package.
Rep. Stefanik told Fox News that “we must prevent American taxpayer dollars from going to institutions that have partnerships with any entity owned, controlled, or organized under the laws of the Chinese Communist Party, which we know is censoring free speech, engaging in genocide in Xinjiang Province, and influencing American academia before our eyes.”
Campus Reform recently reported that Biden quietly nixed a Trump administration rule that would have forced American universities to reveal their ties to the Confucius Institute.
In the final months of the Trump administration, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated Confucius Institutes as “foreign missions” of the People’s Republic of China.
[RELATED: US designates Chinese-funded Confucius Institutes as ‘foreign missions’]
Campus Reform reached out to Stefanik for comment; this article will be updated accordingly.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @BenZeisloft
