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Coalition of 26 Organizations Urges Congress to Pass DETERRENT Act After Exposing Foreign Funding Disclosure Failures
WA, UNITED STATES, May 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, a coalition of 26 major organizations announced the submission of a joint letter to Congressional leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, urging them to adopt the DETERRENT Act (H.R. 1048 and S. 1296) during this 119th Congress.
The DETERRENT Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support (241–169) in March 2025 and is now under consideration in the Senate, strengthens Section 117 reporting requirements for foreign donations and contracts to institutions of higher education. The legislation is designed to close longstanding gaps in oversight and ensure that foreign influence in American academia is fully disclosed and subject to accountability.
Dr. Charles Asher Small, Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), said: “ISGAP’s Follow the Money Project has uncovered systematic efforts to circumvent existing transparency requirements under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act. We found that universities have chronically underreported or entirely omitted foreign gifts and contracts from mandatory federal disclosures. It’s paramount that we adopt the DETERRENT Act to enforce the law and safeguard our institutions. The time for voluntary compliance has passed. We urge Congress to act decisively to ensure transparency, accountability, and the protection of American academic institutions - from foreign influence and from efforts that undermine Western and liberal values while advancing extremist narratives.”
Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 requires institutions receiving federal funding to disclose foreign gifts and contracts to the U.S. Department of Education. These disclosures are intended to provide transparency into the scale and sources of foreign funding shaping American higher education. However, recent findings indicate that billions of dollars in foreign funding, particularly from non-democratic states, have gone unreported or underreported, undermining both public transparency and national security safeguards.
Tyler Stapleton, Senior Director of Government Relations FDD Action, said: “The U.S. higher education system is being targeted by authoritarian regimes and nations seeking to exploit our students and innovation centers for their own gain. New data and transparency disclosures have shown the shocking extent of foreign influence in U.S. higher education reaching into the billions of dollars annually. China, in particular, is using its universities as a front for its military to partner with leading U.S. universities and gain access to sensitive defense research and intellectual property. The DETERRENT Act would give the Department of Defense and other government agencies additional data on foreign partnership and contracts with U.S. schools that seek to undermine our national security and economic competitiveness. Without greater visibility in higher education, we are ceding ground to American’s adversaries.”
The DETERRENT Act does not prohibit universities from engaging in international partnerships. Rather, it ensures that such engagements are conducted transparently, with accurate reporting of funding sources and amounts. The coalition emphasizes that while global academic collaboration remains valuable, it must be accompanied by clear accountability and oversight.
Allen Friedman, NORPAC, said: “Antisemitism flourishes in the dark – when those funding it can hide in anonymity. The DETERRENT Act is an essential step toward removing that anonymity.”
The legislation introduces enhanced disclosure requirements, lowers reporting thresholds, strengthens enforcement mechanisms, and imposes penalties for non-compliance. It also includes provisions addressing contracts with entities tied to countries of concern, while incorporating safeguards for individual privacy.
The coalition is calling on Congress to act swiftly to restore transparency, strengthen oversight, and protect the integrity of American higher education.
The DETERRENT Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support (241–169) in March 2025 and is now under consideration in the Senate, strengthens Section 117 reporting requirements for foreign donations and contracts to institutions of higher education. The legislation is designed to close longstanding gaps in oversight and ensure that foreign influence in American academia is fully disclosed and subject to accountability.
Dr. Charles Asher Small, Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), said: “ISGAP’s Follow the Money Project has uncovered systematic efforts to circumvent existing transparency requirements under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act. We found that universities have chronically underreported or entirely omitted foreign gifts and contracts from mandatory federal disclosures. It’s paramount that we adopt the DETERRENT Act to enforce the law and safeguard our institutions. The time for voluntary compliance has passed. We urge Congress to act decisively to ensure transparency, accountability, and the protection of American academic institutions - from foreign influence and from efforts that undermine Western and liberal values while advancing extremist narratives.”
Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 requires institutions receiving federal funding to disclose foreign gifts and contracts to the U.S. Department of Education. These disclosures are intended to provide transparency into the scale and sources of foreign funding shaping American higher education. However, recent findings indicate that billions of dollars in foreign funding, particularly from non-democratic states, have gone unreported or underreported, undermining both public transparency and national security safeguards.
Tyler Stapleton, Senior Director of Government Relations FDD Action, said: “The U.S. higher education system is being targeted by authoritarian regimes and nations seeking to exploit our students and innovation centers for their own gain. New data and transparency disclosures have shown the shocking extent of foreign influence in U.S. higher education reaching into the billions of dollars annually. China, in particular, is using its universities as a front for its military to partner with leading U.S. universities and gain access to sensitive defense research and intellectual property. The DETERRENT Act would give the Department of Defense and other government agencies additional data on foreign partnership and contracts with U.S. schools that seek to undermine our national security and economic competitiveness. Without greater visibility in higher education, we are ceding ground to American’s adversaries.”
The DETERRENT Act does not prohibit universities from engaging in international partnerships. Rather, it ensures that such engagements are conducted transparently, with accurate reporting of funding sources and amounts. The coalition emphasizes that while global academic collaboration remains valuable, it must be accompanied by clear accountability and oversight.
Allen Friedman, NORPAC, said: “Antisemitism flourishes in the dark – when those funding it can hide in anonymity. The DETERRENT Act is an essential step toward removing that anonymity.”
The legislation introduces enhanced disclosure requirements, lowers reporting thresholds, strengthens enforcement mechanisms, and imposes penalties for non-compliance. It also includes provisions addressing contracts with entities tied to countries of concern, while incorporating safeguards for individual privacy.
The coalition is calling on Congress to act swiftly to restore transparency, strengthen oversight, and protect the integrity of American higher education.
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