The Trump administration is not letting up in its determination to make American colleges and universities shape up and fly right. First, it has asked the universities to supply the administration with information on what they have been doing to record, punish, and prevent antisemitic acts on their campuses. Second, the administration has asked them to furnish the government with information on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs that are enforced at the schools, so that their observance of the law, or failure to do so — the law as set out in the 2023 Supreme Court decision that struck down Affirmative Action programs for college admissions — can be judged. And now the Trump administration wants colleges and universities to reveal what foreign money they have accepted, with particular attention to moneys coming from China and Qatar, two countries that do not share our values, and are, indeed, hostile to us.
More on this request for more information on foreign “influencers” of American universities can be found here: “Trump order will prevent Qatari, Chinese influence at schools, ed. sec. says,” by Michael Starr, Jerusalem Post, April 24, 2025:
A Wednesday executive order from US President Donald Trump will require transparency in foreign university funding, with Education Department Secretary Linda McMahon emphasizing that the order would address the problem of Chinese and Qatari influence in American academic institutions.
Trump’s order called for McMahon to take all appropriate action to enforce preexisting laws on foreign funding to universities and to demand the disclosure of more details about the donations, their sources, and purposes.
McMahon and Attorney-General Pam Bondi were ordered to hold institutions that failed to properly disclose foreign funding accountable, and to conduct audits and investigations where appropriate.
The order explained that legislation on foreign funding in higher education had not been robustly enforced, with blame leveled at former US president Joe Biden’s administration. Trump accused Biden of undermining investigations into foreign funding by moving the task out of the Education Department, and supposedly undoing his previous term’s work.
The previous Trump administration had opened 19 investigations into undisclosed foreign funds, according to the order, leading to the reporting of a further $6.5 billion in foreign funding.
Trump’s new administration suggested that as much as half of reportable foreign gifts were not being disclosed, and funds that had been reported supposedly did not detail their true sources.
A Wednesday White House Fact Sheet claimed that $60b. in foreign gifts and contracts had flowed into American academic institutions over several decades, and only 300 institutions self-reported about the matter each year….
$60 billion given by foreign donors to American colleges and universities is a staggering sum. It is rarely given out of the goodness of their hearts, but funding from certain countries is more worrisome than that from others, because this money forms part of sustained campaigns to buy up influence on campuses, by paying for faculty to teach subjects that will be in line with the donors’ desires. Foreign donors can, provide scholarships to their own nationals, judged politically reliable, to study in America, and influence their classmates, or provide scholarships to American students to study in their countries, where they will be subject to round-the-clock propaganda. The Chinese might pay an American university to take Chinese students or faculty, who will then be able both to spread propaganda, but also, if in the sciences, potentially steal secrets from American researchers. This has already been happening far too often. Qatar has poured money into Middle East Centers filled with native speakers of Arabic, where certain subjects — “contemporary Palestinian literature,” or “the literature of Palestinian resistance,” or “Edward Said’s ‘Orientalism’ Reconsidered” — might be the subject of courses that would please the donors in Doha.
The request had also sought a list of visiting researchers, scholars, students, and faculty, and details about foreign students who had been expelled or had their credentials cancelled.
These requests do no more than request of universities what they were already required to do under the 1965 Higher Education Act. That is, universities are required to report to the government on “foreign gifts, grants, and contracts” received, and provide information as to the individuals involved in such donations. Why should this be controversial? Doesn’t the government have a right — a duty — to make sure that malign foreign governments are not managing to plant agents in American universities, either to propagandize for those governments, or for their favorite causes, or to nurture, among the American faculty who receive funding from them, a cadre of professors who may brainwash American students? How many departments of Middle Eastern Studies have even one faculty member who is well-disposed to Israel? And what about the continuing scandal of Chinese researchers working at American universities, insufficiently vetted, who have turned out to be stealing the work of American researchers?
Qatar may be the largest foreign donor to American colleges. It is also the main supporter of the terror group Hamas, to which it has donated billions of dollars for weapons and to pay the salaries of combatants. Most of Hamas’ leaders live securely, and luxuriously, in Doha. Of course the Qataris will want to support Middle East Studies programs that can be staffed with faculty who will be well disposed not just to the Palestinians, but also to Hamas. Think of the effect of the key professors — Joseph Massad, Rashid Khalidi, and Hamid Dabashi — at Columbia’s Department of Middle East Studies, whose courses would not be out of place at Bir Zeit University, and who have managed to prevent the hiring of any faculty who do not share their pro-Palestinian views. The Qatar Foundation has been pouring money into Columbia, and if the federal government continues to withhold $400 million in funding for the university, Qatar could easily step in and make up the difference.
All the administration wants is to be kept fully informed of what foreign money has been, and is being, spent on American higher education, what programs or individuals are being funded, what sums are being provided, and whether there is any reason for alarm about the effects of that funding coming from countries that have very different values from ours, and do not wish us well, such as China, such as Qatar. What’s wrong with that?
Dave says
That is a very reasonable request.
In fact, he shouldn’t have to ask. They should already be doing it.
JOHN LLOYD SCHARF says
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) (22 U.S.C. § 611 et seq.) is a United States law that imposes public disclosure obligations on persons representing foreign interests. [1][2] It requires “foreign agents”—defined as individuals or entities engaged in domestic lobbying or advocacy for foreign governments, organizations, or persons (“foreign principals”)—to register with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and disclose their relationship, activities, and related financial compensation.
JOHN LLOYD SCHARF says
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) (22 U.S.C. § 611 et seq.) is a United States law that imposes public disclosure obligations on persons representing foreign interests. [1][2] It requires “foreign agents”—defined as individuals or entities engaged in domestic lobbying or advocacy for foreign governments, organizations, or persons (“foreign principals”)—to register with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and disclose their relationship, activities, and related financial compensation.
Wellington says
Trump, effectively, is trying to save America and by extension the Western world in general, and this is why the Western Left hates the man because the Western Left hates America and all the West.
If by now one does not realize this about the Western Left, they are at best a fool. If complicit with this “design” (which so many are, including as a whole the Democratic Party of the USA, the MSM and the American academic world), they are outrightly malevolent, though still also fools because being evil and foolish so often go hand-in-hand.
WPM says
Many left leaning officials in both North America (primary America and Canada) and western Europe are on foreign “payrolls” that is my theory. The MSM ( the people who run it) especial Hollywood movie makers and the owners of sports teams are “concern ” what the Chinese leaders want they will sell their souls for that market.. How does anyone explain Le Pen being made not to run now being under possible house arrest because of a minor error on what campaign funds where used for her campaign run or her allies in their party run for EU spots? The witch hunts on Trump over the last 10 years that makes paperwork errors that are normally misdemeanors into felons (Stormy Daniels case the mortgage loan case) ,laws changed to extend the point you can be charge or bought up for a crime with no outside witnesses (the Carroll case nearly 30 years after the so called incident no one saw in a popular department store in the middle of the day ) .Judge shopping to keep violent gang members ( many who missed showing up for their hearing dates with no bail release )who are also illegal aliens from being deported from America . The shenanigans’ in German Parliament members elections, The green new deal killing the economy in both North America and western Europe putting the breaks on all new manufacturing and causing soaring energy cost to all citizens in Western Europe and the Americas.. Too many things going on with common threads and themes in the so call free western world not to some kind of outside “interest” funding and controlling this mayhem.. Uncontrolled millions of “refugees” entering western Europe and America under Biden and western European leaders in the last 4 years .
Isabella Hale says
NOTHING is wrong with that. I wonder HOW IT IT LEGAL FOR FOREIGN GOVT’s to give that much money to University.
WHAT HE SAID:.. he Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) (22 U.S.C. § 611 et seq.) is a United States law that imposes public disclosure obligations on persons representing foreign interests. [1][2] It requires “foreign agents”—defined as individuals or entities engaged in domestic lobbying or advocacy for foreign governments, organizations, or persons (“foreign principals”)—to register with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and disclose their relationship, activities, and related financial compensati. EXACTLY we should KNOW WHO IS GETTING THIS FREE MONEY AND WHY
gravenimage says
Trump Administration Wants Colleges to Reveal Foreign Donors
…………………………………………
That actually sounds like a pretty reasonable request.
tgusa says
To paraphrase James Carville (aka snake head). If you drag a hundred dollar bill through a leftist institution you never know what you’ll find.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Bingo 💯!
WPM says
Lately I have seen James Carville speaking on TV ,he remines me of what Gollum from Lord of The Rings would look like about 500 years old When .he talks about the Democrats regaining both the Senate ,House and Presidency you almost hear him ending his statement with “my precious “.in that crazy Southern New Orleans accent .
aum says
Great Initiative – We should be doing this in ‘dhimmi’ UK.
Alkflaeda says
All external donations to American or European universities should go into a central pot administered by the country concerned, and donors should only be able to give broad indications of what sorts of projects they would like to fund, e.g., they can say “Middle Eastern Studies” if they want, but they can’t dictate course content or faculty appointments.
James Lincoln says
Foreign donors to American colleges would not give money unless they received “something” in return.
The Trump administration wants to know what that “something” is…
Troybeam says
All American colleges should be investigated for accepting if any foreign funds especially from China and Islamic nations.
Sharia law classes at Harvard, Arabs donated funds while Justice Kagan was dean of the school. Shame on her for that.
OLD GUY says
Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been funding Islamic studies at Colleges and Universities all over the country. Just check out how many muslim student unions there are and islamic department heads there are on campuses across the country.
Trump shouldn’t have to ask for this disclosure of foreign money and influence in higher education of OUR children. It should be already in the law.
Walter Sieruk says
It’s very obvious that those insidious stealth jihadists gaining power and influence of those high positions institutions of “higher education” must, obviously , be accepting “gifts”, bribes, from persons from foreign oil rich countries . Specifically, Qatar. That Islamic nation has infiltrated and then influenced many Universities and colleges across the United States.
Stewart Shane says
“… hold institutions that failed to properly disclose foreign funding accountable….” INSTITUTIONS are not the ones breaking the law and failing to disclose foreign funding and influence. It’s PEOPLE, the people running the institutions, who are the problem. Hold them accountable. Investigate and hold criminally, civilly, and/or financially liable the individual personnel of the institution. That should make a big, positive difference.