Grassley Presses DOJ on FARA and China's Activity in the U.S. Education System

Statement

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions seeking information on whether the U.S. Department of Justice has made efforts to look into Confucius Institutes and their potential obligation to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

"As an extension of the Chinese government, the Confucius Institutes are not only a foreign principal but are also owned and controlled by a foreign principal -- the government of China. The connection to the Chinese government is not insignificant in scope or mission as related to "foreign agent' purposes: according to reporting, the strategic goal of the Chinese government is to place its Institutes within existing colleges and universities under the guise of teaching Chinese language, culture, and history," Grassley wrote.

"The Confucius Institute's activities appear to mirror the opinions of the Chinese government. Together with the state funding and other indicia of agency the activities of the Institutes show that they are inherently political in nature and intended to influence U.S. policy and public opinion. This type of activity falls squarely within the scope of FARA's reporting obligations."

For years, Grassley has engaged in extensive FARA oversight, and in July 2017, the Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine the state of FARA enforcement and consider potential improvements to the law. As a result of these oversight efforts and the importance that FARA be fairly and appropriately enforced, Grassley introduced the Disclosing Foreign Influence Act (S.2039). The bill addresses shortcomings in the current law by clarifying registration obligations of foreign agents, improving investigative tools for federal officials--such as granting civil investigative demand authority--and providing new oversight and reporting requirements on the implementation of the law to ensure accountability.

Grassley has also been vocal in raising concerns over questionable and unethical actions from the Chinese government. In August, Grassley joined a bipartisan letter expressing concern over China's predatory loan infrastructure for developing countries. Along with Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Grassley also sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin urging the Trump administration to take action to review all Chinese investments in the U.S. for their long-term economic impact.

Grassley has been vocal on the need for the U.S. to protect national security interests when negotiating with China. Grassley joined a bipartisan group of senators in a letter urging caution to safeguard critical military and dual-use technology from China. Grassley spoke on the Senate floor regarding Chinese abuses of the U.S. EB-5 Investor visa program. Grassley co-authored an op-ed with Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, David Perdue of Georgia and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin about America's need to compete more effectively with the Chinese after a delegation trip to China earlier this year. Grassley also regularly condemns China's continual stealing of U.S. intellectual property.

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