Moolenaar: Trump Admin Shines Light on CCP-Linked Funding on U.S. Campuses

The U.S. Department of Education recently released new data at foreignfundinghighered.gov showing the scale and scope of foreign influence in U.S. higher education. This action builds on the Trump Administration's broader efforts to strengthen enforcement of Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which holds that institutions of higher education must publicly disclose all gifts and contracts valued at $250,000 or more.

"Secretary McMahon, Secretary Rubio, and the entire Trump Administration are increasing accountability in higher education by providing the American people with more insight into China’s efforts to influence academia in our country," said Chairman John Moolenaar of the Select Committee on China. "For too long, CCP-linked entities have given billions of dollars to American universities to spread malign influence. Now their funding has been brought to light and there is more Congress must do to stop this and protect our nation’s campuses from the CCP.”

Background

By publishing this new information, the Department is providing a valuable resource for oversight and helping ensure that universities do not evade scrutiny for their foreign financial relationships. Congress established Section 117's reporting requirements to help identify and mitigate foreign influence, protect academic integrity, and provide transparency regarding foreign financial relationships. Despite the law's clear requirements, enforcement was largely neglected for years, resulting in an incomplete understanding of the depth and breadth of foreign money flowing into American colleges and universities.

According to the newly released Section 117 data, several universities have accepted gifts or entered into contracts with entities that have been identified by the U.S. government as national security concerns and placed on various restricted or prohibited entity lists

• Cornell University reported a $60,000 contract with Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. spanning the period December 21, 2023 through March 23, 2026. Huawei has been on the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Entity List since 2019 and has subsequently been added to other U.S. government restricted lists due to national security concerns.
•  Northwestern University reported multiple $150,000 contracts in 2024 and 2025 with the AECC Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials (AECC BIAM), a subsidiary of the Aero Engine Corporation of China that supports China's aerospace and military aviation sectors. AECC BIAM was added to the BIS Military End User List in 2020 due to its support to China's military-industrial base.
• The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities reported more than $450,000 in contracts across multiple agreements in 2025 with Sun Yat-sen University. Sun Yat-sen University was added to the BIS Entity List in 2015 and was subsequently designated in 2023 under Section 1286 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act as a foreign institution engaged in problematic activities related to China's military-industrial and defense research ecosystem.

Universities should not wait for Congress to act before adopting commonsense protections of their own. Institutions that are serious about research security should establish policies prohibiting gifts, contracts, and research relationships with entities that appear on U.S. government restricted party lists. Such policies would help protect taxpayer-funded research, reduce reputational risk, strengthen public trust, and ensure that American universities are not providing support, legitimacy, or scientific benefit to organizations that advance the strategic, technological, or military objectives of foreign adversaries.