HR 4902119th CongressIn Committee

Securing Academia from Foreign Entanglements Act

Introduced: Aug 5, 2025

Sponsor: Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17] (R-Florida)

Defense & National Security

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Securing Academia from Foreign Entanglements Act would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to bar colleges and universities from receiving gifts or entering into contracts with “foreign countries of concern.” A “foreign country of concern” includes: (1) any country designated as a “covered nation” under another U.S. law, and (2) any country the Secretary of Education, after consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and the Director of National Intelligence, determines to be detrimental to U.S. national security or foreign policy. The bill also adjusts gift disclosure rules to exclude gifts from these countries from required disclosures, and it clarifies that the prohibition does not affect tuition, room and board, or other cost-of-attendance matters. In short, the bill aims to minimize perceived foreign influence in U.S. higher education by restricting financial gifts and contracts from certain countries.

Key Points

1The act’s short title: Securing Academia from Foreign Entanglements Act.
2Prohibition: Institutions may not receive gifts from or enter into contracts with foreign countries of concern.
3Definition of “foreign country of concern”:
4- (A) A country that is a “covered nation” per 10 U.S.C. 4872(d).
5- (B) Any country the Secretary, after consulting with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and the Director of National Intelligence, determines to be detrimental to U.S. national security or foreign policy.
6Disclosure change: Section 117(h)(2)(A) would exclude gifts from foreign countries of concern from disclosure requirements.
7Scope exception: The prohibition does not affect tuition, room and board, fees, or other costs of attendance.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Institutions of higher education (colleges and universities), including their governance, compliance, research offices, and contracting/ procurement teams.Secondary group/area affected: Donors and potential foreign sponsors from countries designated as “countries of concern,” as well as firms that provide contracts to higher education institutions.Additional impacts: Potential chilling effect on international collaboration and fundraising; potential changes to research partnerships and vendor relationships; increased regulatory and screening burden on campuses; uncertainty around which countries may be labeled as “countries of concern” due to the listing process. National security and foreign policy considerations would drive funding and partnership decisions at the institutional level.The bill explicitly states that it does not alter the treatment of tuition and other attendance-related costs.The provision tying the “foreign country of concern” to a formal definition (covered nations) and a high-level executive determination process introduces a potentially broad and evolving set of country designations, which could affect which entities are eligible for gifts or contracts in the future.Penalties or enforcement mechanisms are not specified in the text provided, so the bill’s remedies and penalties, if any, would require further legislative detail.

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