UC-Berkeley Investigated Over Foreign Funds, China Ties
The Department of Education has launched an investigation into the University of California, Berkeley, over concerns about undisclosed foreign funding and its reported ties to China.
According to a report by the Daily Caller, the Department alleges that UC Berkeley failed to report “hundreds of millions of dollars” it received from foreign governments over several years. The funding has raised concerns over the university’s “deep involvements with Chinese entities” and the potential sharing of information related to “important technologies.”
In 2023, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) found “grave research security concerns” regarding UC Berkeley’s partnership with Tsinghua University and the Shenzhen government.
The investigation was initiated after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday aimed at increasing transparency around foreign donations to American universities. The order instructs the Secretary of Education to reverse Biden-era policies that allowed universities to avoid disclosing foreign gifts.
“The Biden-Harris Administration turned a blind eye to colleges and universities’ legal obligations by deprioritizing oversight and allowing foreign gifts to pour onto American campuses,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
The White House also cited a report that an estimated $60 billion in foreign gifts and contracts have been given to American universities over the past several decades, with only about 300 of the 6,000 U.S. institutions self-reporting foreign money annually.
“President Trump is ending secrecy surrounding foreign funding in higher education to protect students, research, and the marketplace of ideas,” the White House said in a statement regarding the order.
