In The News

Recently, a different national security challenge has come to light. While some are familiar with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) desire to dictate policy, few realize these activities are happening in the United States. Efforts by the CCP to influence everyday American life can seem like something out of a Tom Clancy novel, however, the lengths the CCP is currently going to cultivate propaganda while surveilling and harassing diaspora communities is very real. In fact, we have concrete examples, right here in Michigan, of how the CCP uses American colleges and universities to threaten our national security.

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice charged five University of Michigan graduates from China who were found taking photos of classified communications equipment and military vehicles in an unauthorized area of Camp Grayling, a training facility controlled by the Michigan Army National Guard. These illegal actions occurred during a live fire exercise with American allies, including the Taiwanese military.

Furthermore, in 2020, two University of Michigan students from China were sentenced to federal prison after they were photographing military and naval infrastructure at Naval Air Station Key West in Florida. The University of Michigan has now been used on multiple occasions as a proxy for nefarious CCP activity.

Sadly, these incidents are not isolated to one university. In July 2024, a Chinese national at the University of Minnesota was found guilty of using a drone to photograph shipyards building naval vessels. Without action, the CCP will continue to use its vast network of cultural associations and relationships with universities to perpetuate its global reach.

In response, the House passed H.R. 1516, the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act, which successfully included an amendment I introduced to prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from sending taxpayer dollars to American universities that maintain a relationship with Chinese entities of concerns.

As your voice in Congress, I will continue to protect our nation and inform constituents about the threats posed by the CCP.

If you need assistance with a federal agency, please contact my office in Portage at (269) 569-8595.