[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 78 (Friday, May 9, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   DHS RESTRICTIONS ON CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES AND CHINESE ENTITIES OF 
                              CONCERN ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 7, 2025

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 881, the DHS 
Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern 
Act.
  H.R. 881 is a solution in search of a problem. In 2018, Congress 
passed provisions prohibiting the Department of Defense from providing 
funds to any U.S. institution of higher education that hosts a 
Confucius Institute, unless that institution receives a waiver from the 
Department. Since its passage, no waivers have been issued, and the 
number of Confucius Institutes in the United States has declined from a 
peak of 118 in 2017 to fewer than five today. The current protections 
against Chinese intellectual property theft through Confucius 
Institutes have worked, and Congress should not place additional 
burdens on our colleges, universities, and their students.
  Mr. Speaker, instead of addressing the harms of the President's on-
again-off-again tariffs, or working to address rising costs for 
American consumers, Republicans used this week to negotiate their 
Reckless Budget Scheme and rename a body of water. My constituents do 
not want Congress to give trillions of dollars of tax cuts to 
billionaires. They do not want cuts to SNAP or Medicaid, vital 
lifelines in my home state of Minnesota. It's time Congress starts 
working to address the real issues--starting with passing full year 
appropriations bills. I am ready to get to work.