Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., recently introduced the No Federal Funding for CCP Spying and Persuasion in Education Setting (SPIES) Act, which prohibits the Department of Defense from sending money to universities who host Confucius Institutes.
According to an April 24 report by Fox News, Banks wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to provide explanations concerning the “inadequate guidance” given by the Department of Defense in relation to colleges’ pursuit of waivers to establish Confucius Institutes on their campuses without jeopardizing funding.
“There is no situation where we should make it easier for the Chinese Communist Party to spy on our universities,” Banks said in a June 7 news release on his website. “Safeguarding American research by ensuring no DOD funds go to universities with Confucius Institutes is common sense and vital to our national security.”
Banks wrote the letter to Austin about the loophole in the DOD’s guidance on Section 1062 of the Fiscal Year 2021 NDAA, according to the release. This, he said, was passed to stop the DoD from providing funding to higher education institutions that host a Confucius Institute.
“[Confucius Institutes] act as agents of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on U.S. campuses, spreading Party propaganda, monitoring students and dissidents and providing China a launching pad for espionage against our nation’s most valuable research and technology,” Banks said, according to Fox News.
Banks warned the DoD is "bowing to the wishes of academia and the scientific community to continue their deep ties with China, despite the growing threat of CCP propaganda and espionage," Fox News reported.
He criticized the guidance of the DoD, which he said put some restrictions on Confucius Institutes but allowed several loopholes which he claimed do not consider the seriousness of the Institutes.
According to the bill, the SPIES Act has a focus on broadening the restriction on financial support for international higher education institutions that accommodate Confucius Institutes and eliminate the ability to grant exemptions from the restriction.
“U.S. taxpayer dollars should not be benefiting the CCP and its murderous regime," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said in the release. "Confucius Institutes, which are directed by Beijing, have plagued college campuses in our nation with the CCP’s propaganda. There is no reason why the DoD should support these institutes.”
