00:00Thank you, Chairman Wahlberg, and thank you to Congressman Bumgarner for the work on this bill.
00:05Mr. Speaker, each year
00:08adversarial nations like China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia
00:12attempt to buy the ability to influence our next generation through donations and contracts with American colleges and
00:20universities. The Deterrent Act will shine the light on these shady backroom deals that get maligned foreign
00:27influence out of our schools.
00:30The legislation will strengthen the thresholds of reporting foreign gifts and
00:35contracts. According to the Wall Street Journal, in the last 12 years,
00:39U.S. schools had nearly
00:423,000 contracts with China,
00:44valued at no less than
00:46$2.32 billion. That raises an important question.
00:51Why would a country that certainly doesn't have the best interest of American students in mind pay such enormous sums
00:58to American universities?
01:00This bill will get to the bottom of it. The Deterrent Act includes language from my own legislation, the No Contracts with Foreign
01:09Adversaries Act, which requires a college or university to be transparent about the reason they might want to contract
01:16with one of the four countries currently designed by our government as a, quote, country of concern.
01:23It's true.
01:24There could be an academic purpose for a partnership with a country like China, North Korea, Iran, or Russia,
01:31but these partnerships cannot come at the expense of our national security,
01:37research integrity, or our future generations.
01:41Students, parents, and taxpayers have a right to know the financial ties of these universities. The Deterrent Act
01:49strengthens current law by raising the reporting standards and
01:53providing a real enforcement mechanism if schools try to hide their dealings with foreign countries.
01:59I urge all of my colleagues to stand and support the Deterrent Act, and with that I yield back.
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