Sen. Scott Fights to Protect Schools from China, Malign Foreign Influence

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in introducing the Protecting Education from Malign Foreign Influence Act, which will prevent higher education institutions and their faculty from entering into certain relationships with foreign adversaries and require states to develop policies to create similar requirements for K-12 schools.

“China and other foreign adversaries are infiltrating every level of our education system,” said Senator Tim Scott. “We cannot allow American students – the future of our great nation – to be corrupted by bad actors who are pushing anti-American propaganda and sowing chaos and distrust around the world.”

“The integrity of our schools is one of the most basic guarantees that we should give to our students. Current federal policies to protect our students from adversaries are incomplete and disappointing. The U.S. is being infiltrated through its educational institutions,” said Senator Rubio. “This bill aims to close those gaps, securing a robust defense against malign foreign influence in our classrooms.”

“It’s a universally accepted truth that Communist China is stealing U.S. technology and intellectual property from institutions of higher learning. We cannot allow the U.S. federal government to sit back and let this dangerous espionage happen,” said Senator Rick Scott. “Now is the time to take a stand against this madness, and I’m proud to join my colleagues in fighting to pass the Protecting Education from Malign Foreign Influence Act to better protect America’s colleges and universities.”

This legislation is endorsed by the National Association of Scholars and Parents Defending Education Action.

On December 8th, Senator Scott led his colleagues in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland expressing serious concern about Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence over Chinese Students and Scholars Associations (CSSAs) at American colleges and universities. 

The full text of the legislation can be found here.