The CAMPUS Act aims to counter foreign influence in U.S. educational institutions by identifying and restricting partnerships with entities involved in military-civil fusion in China, enhancing disclosure requirements for foreign gifts, and promoting collaboration with Taiwan for Chinese language and cultural programs.
James Lankford
Senator
OK
The CAMPUS Act aims to counter adversarial partnerships with China in U.S. educational institutions by identifying and restricting funding to entities involved in military-civil fusion. It prohibits the use of Department of Defense and Education funds for institutions and schools with ties to entities supporting China's military or defense industry, and limits visas for individuals involved in these activities. The Act also encourages partnerships with Taiwan to promote Mandarin language and Chinese cultural programs, lowers the threshold for disclosing foreign gifts to colleges and universities, and restricts federal grants to entities contracting with companies on the Entity List.
CAMPUS Act Targets China Ties: Research Funding, Visas, and School Partnerships Face New Rules
The CAMPUS Act, short for Countering Adversarial and Malicious Partnerships at Universities and Schools Act, sets up new guardrails aimed squarely at limiting connections between U.S. education and research institutions and certain entities in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The core idea is to prevent U.S. resources and knowledge from potentially aiding China's military development, a concept known as 'Military-Civil Fusion'. The bill requires intelligence agencies to identify Chinese universities supporting this strategy (Sec. 2) and then restricts federal interactions with them and their partners.
Cutting the Cord: Research Funding Under Review
Here's a major practical change: Department of Defense (DoD) research and development funds can no longer go to any U.S. entity that has a contract with a Chinese university flagged for involvement in Military-Civil Fusion (Sec. 3). Think about a university lab working on advanced materials – if they collaborate with a listed Chinese institution, their DoD grant could be cut off. Similarly, federal funds for research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) are blocked if the recipient partners with a Chinese company appearing on either the new list created by this bill or the existing Commerce Department's Entity List (Sec. 8). This significantly raises the stakes for U.S. researchers and institutions when choosing international partners.
New Hurdles at the Border and the Lab
The bill also tightens access for individuals and facilities. The Secretary of State gains the authority to deny nonimmigrant visas (like student or work visas) to individuals coming from Chinese institutions identified as supporting Military-Civil Fusion (Sec. 5). This could directly impact students and scholars seeking to study or work in the U.S. Additionally, companies needing security clearance to handle classified information might hit a wall. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency can't approve a facility if the entity running it has an active research partnership with one of the listed Chinese institutions (Sec. 4). This links academic partnerships directly to national security access.
Beyond Higher Ed: K-12 and Foreign Gifts
The restrictions extend down to K-12 schools. The Department of Education is prohibited from giving funds to any elementary or secondary school that has a contract with any entity based in the PRC (Sec. 6). This is broad and could affect schools using Chinese-based companies for anything from language programs to software. Separately, the bill increases financial transparency, lowering the reporting threshold for foreign gifts to colleges and universities from $250,000 down to $50,000 (Sec. 9). Expect universities to track and disclose smaller donations from foreign sources much more closely.
A Pivot Towards Taiwan?
While restricting ties with certain PRC entities, the Act encourages strengthening educational partnerships with Taiwan. It specifically promotes collaboration between the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representatives Office to boost Mandarin language and Chinese cultural programs in U.S. schools (K-12 and higher ed). The bill authorizes grants to support these initiatives (Sec. 7), signaling a strategic shift in educational diplomacy.
The Bottom Line: Increased Scrutiny, Potential Chills
Overall, the CAMPUS Act represents a significant tightening of rules governing interactions between U.S. education/research and Chinese entities, driven by national security concerns. The practical effects could range from universities needing stricter vetting processes for partners and donors, to individual students facing visa issues, and K-12 schools potentially losing access to certain contractors. A key challenge will be the precise definition and application of 'Military-Civil Fusion' (Sec. 2, 10) – how broadly this is interpreted will determine the real-world impact on academic collaboration and international exchange.