PHILADELPHIA – December 8, 2023 – American universities will no longer be able to count on a complacent federal bureaucracy and weak legislation to avoid disclosing foreign gifts and contracts, if a House vote two days ago becomes law.
The Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act – the DETERRENT Act (H.R. 5933) – passed the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday in a bipartisan vote of 246 to 170. Introduced by Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) and co-sponsored by Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and 25 other members, the bill significantly strengthens key provision of Section 117 of the Higher Education Act.
For decades, many universities have ignored requirements to report foreign gifts or contracts of over $250,000. Legislation lacked the teeth to hold academe accountable, allowing parts of the education bureaucracy to ignore violations of the law. Even if universities complied, they did not need to disclose the purposes for which the funds would be used – a loophole that allowed foreign states such as Qatar and China quietly to fund potentially disreputable projects or individuals.
The Middle East Forum (MEF) has long advocated for greater transparency in the billions of dollars flowing annually to academe from overseas. It especially sounded the alarm about funds from Qatar, a major state patron of Hamas – a danger that Congress has now highlighted after years of MEF’s research drove home this point.
“The fundamental problem with Section 117 is the lack of a serious enforcement mechanism and penalties for those who violate it. It requires far too little disclosure as to what foreign dollars are used for,” says Cliff Smith, MEF’s Washington Project director. “This bill addresses both of those problems and helps ensure that watchdog groups, journalists, and citizens have the information they need in order to know if our universities are falling under malign foreign influence.”
“Do foreign funds support petroleum engineering and medical research – or Islamist departments? Under current law, there is no way to know” said Winfield Myers, director of MEF’s Campus Watch project. “The detailed reporting required by the DETERRENT Act, including where and for what purpose funds will be used, is a major advancement over the status quo. It shines a bright light into some of academe’s darkest corners.”
The DETERRENT Act was recently introduced in the Senate by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) as S. 3362. The Middle East Forum encourages the Senate to pass this legislation quickly and for President Joe Biden to sign it.
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For immediate release
For more information, contact:
Cliff Smith
CSmith@meforum.org
+1 (202) 730-9793
