U.S. Representative Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) recently announced the passage of her Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act with bipartisan support in the House of Representatives. She stated in a press release that the bill aims to combat foreign influence on college campuses.
The press release revealed that Steel's DETERRENT Act focuses on enhancing transparency, accountability, and clarity in the reporting of foreign gifts to colleges and universities nationwide. It represents the first step in a series of bills aimed at reforming the Higher Education Act and garnered bipartisan backing during its passage.
As per Investopedia, the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) was enacted as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society agenda. Its objective was to provide financial assistance to college and university students while strengthening U.S. higher education resources. Despite its expiration in 2013, Congress has struggled to reach a reauthorization agreement.
According to a press release from Steel's office, the DETERRENT Act lowers the reporting threshold for colleges receiving foreign gifts from $250,000 to $50,000, with no threshold for countries of concern. The legislation addresses reporting loopholes, mandates disclosure to individual staff and faculty members, and holds private institutions accountable for concerning foreign investments. The press release indicated that failure to comply with these restrictions could result in fines and loss of Title IV funding. This is particularly urgent given revelations that over 200 American educational institutions received $13 billion in previously undisclosed foreign gifts contributing to issues such as antisemitism on campuses.
In the same press release, Steel said: "As our college campuses are subjected to the rampant spread of antisemitism and the continued presence of CCP influence campaigns, it is critical that we expose the forces attempting to influence our children." She further stated: "When foreign governments give money to our universities, they don’t do it out of the goodness of their hearts; they want something in return. Whether it’s terror-friendly states like Qatar and Iran, or brutal human rights abusers like the CCP, our campuses must not become puppets of countries who hate America." Steel concluded by saying: "By passing this bill, we’ve taken an important step in protecting our future leaders, but the job is not done. This is an urgent threat, and I call on my Senate colleagues to take up this measure immediately, send it to the President’s desk for his signature, and deter any further effort to meddle in our students’ education."
