For far too long, foreign adversaries of the United States have had an undue influence over American universities. Their goal is to undermine our national interests, steal intellectual property, and spread propaganda to disrupt American society.
Regimes like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have expanded their reach by offering American academic institutions enticing funding opportunities, from gifts to contracts and research funding. Last year, a congressional investigation discovered nearly $40 million in unreported research contracts with two top research universities and the CCP.
Despite being required to disclose foreign donations, 39% of universities underreported or failed to report. While the total amount of “ghost dollars” flowing into our universities isn’t known, a report this week found that over the past few decades, $60 billion in foreign gifts and contracts have been funneled into American colleges and universities.
This week, I was proud to vote for the DETERRENT Act. This legislation would bring much-needed transparency, accountability, and clarity to gift reporting requirements for academic institutions to combat foreign influence in our education system. This bill would address this issue by:
- Lowering the foreign gift reporting threshold for colleges and universities from $250,000 to $50,000, with a $0 threshold for countries and entities of concern.
- Closing reporting loopholes and providing transparency to Congress, intelligence agencies, and the public.
- Requiring disclosure of foreign gifts and contracts to individual staff and faculty at research-heavy institutions to protect those targeted most by our adversaries.
- Holding our largest private institutions accountable for their financial partnerships by revealing foreign investments in their endowments.
- Implementing repercussions for colleges and universities that remain noncompliant in foreign gift reporting, such as fines and the loss of Title IV funding.
American colleges and universities should be a place where students get to learn and grow to become successful members of society. They should not have propaganda forced on them from our foreign adversaries. I am proud to support this bill and will always stand firm against our enemies and ensure they have no influence over American students.
Teaming up with Brett Favre
This week I cosponsored a bill by Rep. Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08) to launch the Congressional Fitness Challenge, which he is spearheading along with Green Bay Packer legend Brett Favre! This would create a voluntary program open to children ages 6-17 across all educational settings in our country. The challenge includes five core fitness tests: the 1-mile Run/Walk, Pull-Ups/Flexed Arm Hang, Curl-Ups or Sit-Ups, Shuttle Run, and Sit-and-Reach. Participants would be recognized with Gold, Silver, or Bronze awards based on their performance according to age-appropriate standards. It is crucial that we provide children with the tools they need to live healthy lives and achieve their full potential. The Congressional Fitness Challenge is just one of the many steps we can take to help Make America Healthy Again. I look forward to working alongside Rep. Hamadeh, Brett Favre, and my colleagues to make this challenge a reality.
WI ATC: Wheels down in DC
I had the pleasure of meeting with Brennan Hill and Mark Hermanson on Tuesday, air traffic controllers from Green Bay and Madison representing the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (ATC). As vice-chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation, it is always a pleasure to hear from fellow Wisconsinites and see how the decisions made in D.C. impact our communities back home. We were able to discuss how Congress can work to advance modernization efforts for air traffic control facilities across the country and improve hiring practices for controllers to help the best and brightest enter the profession.
Committee Update: Protecting America’s Farmers
On Tuesday, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to learn more about the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) 50-year history. The CFTC plays an important role in U.S. agriculture by regulating the entirety of the U.S. derivatives markets, including futures, options, and swaps of U.S. commodities. These commodities range in a variety of products such as interest rates, foreign exchange rates, equity indexes, creditworthiness, metals, oil and natural gas, agricultural commodities, and digital assets among others. During the hearing, we also learned how the CFTC handled novel markets that were not in existence at the time of establishment such as cryptocurrencies. Looking forward to the next 50 years for the CFTC raises the question of how to allow the agency to be flexible enough to regulate these new markets as they materialize. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Committee as we address this issue.
Recent Legislation
Honoring our Vietnam Veterans
This week I introduced the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day Resolution along with Rep. Linda Sánchez (CA-38). This resolution will recognize the valiant service of Vietnam Veterans and the unwelcoming environment that many servicemembers faced when they returned home to the United States by designating the last Saturday in March 2025 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.
Air America: Upholding the Airman’s Bond
I was proud to cosponsor the Air America Act sponsored by Rep. Glenn Grothman (WI-06). This bill will allow former employees of Air America Airlines to receive federal retirement credit for their time employed by the United States. We now know through declassified documents that Air America was a federally owned airline that engaged in covert search and rescue missions during the Cold War. These heroic individuals are currently ineligible for federal retirement credit due an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) rule change in 1985 that required government form SF-50/52 to prove federal employment status. These forms were not issued to Air America employees due to the classified nature of their work, despite the fact they worked directly for the federal government.”
District Update
2025 Congressional Art Competition
Reminder: My office is accepting entries for the 2025 Congressional Art Competition. All signed documents and art must be delivered by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 7th, 2025, to my District Office located at 1702 Scheuring Road, Suite B, De Pere, WI 54115. If you have any questions, please contact my District Office at 920-301-4500. You can also find additional details on my website.
Photo of the Week
The NEW Zoo is continuing their search for two otters, Louie and Ophelia, who went missing last Thursday during the winter storm. Louie and Ophelia made their great escape through a small hole in a buried fence and have since been seen on camera footage frolicking in the snow. If you would like your picture to be featured in the photo of the week section, please email it to [email protected] with your name and location.
