New York, NY; March 27, 2025—Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1048, the “Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaged in Nefarious Transactions” (DETERRENT) Act. We are thankful to the House for its passage and strongly urge the Senate to take up and act on this critical legislation.
“The DETERRENT Act is the best tool Congress has put forth to combat foreign influence in our universities,” stated National Association of Scholars President Peter W. Wood. “This bill will provide the transparency necessary to hold our universities accountable for accepting gifts from America’s enemies.”
First introduced by Representative Michael Baumgartner of Washington and cosponsored by 21 of his bipartisan colleagues, the DETERRENT Act amends Section 117 of the Higher Education Act to lower the threshold for mandatory reporting of foreign gifts to our universities from $250,000 to $50,000. For “Countries of Concern” such as China, Russia, Iran, and other adversaries, the reporting threshold will fall even further to $0.
“Our foreign adversaries have been able to prop up anti-Semitism and support the theft of American research and technology through gifts to American universities. By passing the DETERRENT Act, Congress deters further gifts from America’s adversaries who intend to undermine our national security, the academic freedom of students and faculty, and the integrity of American higher education,” concluded Wood.
Learn more about the DETERRENT Act here.
NAS is a network of scholars and citizens united by a commitment to academic freedom, disinterested scholarship, and excellence in American higher education. Membership in NAS is open to all who share a commitment to these broad principles. NAS publishes a journal and has state and regional affiliates. Visit NAS at www.nas.org.
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If you would like more information about this issue, please contact Chance Layton at layton@nas.org.
Photo by Christine Roy on Unsplash
