GOP Senators Introduce Bill to Crack Down on ‘Foreign Influence Operations’ at US Colleges

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) speaks during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on April 21, 2021. Graeme Jennings/AFP via Getty Images

Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) on Aug. 3 introduced legislation targeting gifts and donations to U.S. colleges and universities that come from foreign adversaries such as China, in a bid to blunt the impact of “foreign influence operations.”

The bill, called the Greater Insight into Foreign Transactions (GIFTs) in Higher Education Act (pdf), seeks greater transparency in higher education gifts and donations, while making U.S. colleges and universities more accountable for reporting such transactions.