Rep. Messmer on the DETERRENT Act: Protecting Students from Foreign Influence

The DETERRENT Act and Foreign Influence

• 🎯 The DETERRENT Act (HR 1048) aims to bring transparency and accountability to gift reporting requirements for colleges and universities.
• ⚠️ For decades, foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party, Iran, and Russia have pushed propaganda on American campuses to influence students.
• 💰 Universities have accepted investments disguised as research or infrastructure projects, funded by regimes with harmful intentions.

National Security Risks and the Instruct Act

• 🚨 These corrupt arrangements create dangerous environments for students and faculty, jeopardizing America's national security.
• 💡 The Instruct Act, a key provision of the DETERRENT Act, requires universities to disclose financial transactional data to American intelligence agencies.
• 🔍 This disclosure is crucial to ensure universities are free from exploitation by hostile foreign influences.

Protecting Students and Notifying Adversaries

• 🗣️ Rep. Messmer urges colleagues to pass the bill to put adversaries on notice that their actions are being monitored.
• ✅ The primary goal is to protect the nation's students from foreign manipulation and ensure they have a transparent and safe learning environment.
• 👏 The speaker thanks Chairman Walberg for his leadership on this critical issue.