Sarasota Review

U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) have introduced the Securing Academia from Foreign Entanglements (SAFE) Act. The bill aims to address financial contributions made by foreign adversaries to universities in the United States.

“Students and faculty deserve full confidence that their university’s finances are transparent and above board. Allowing foreign adversaries to gain a foothold in our education system is a direct threat to both our national security and the integrity of American higher education,” said Rep. Steube. “My bill will address this threat by banning universities from accepting gifts or entering contractual agreements with suspect foreign nations and restoring transparency to university financing.”

The SAFE Act serves as the House companion to legislation introduced by Senator Dan Sullivan during this session of Congress.

The proposed legislation would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965, prohibiting colleges and universities from receiving gifts or forming agreements with countries deemed concerning. Additionally, it requires institutions to report all such transactions involving these “covered nations” to the Department of Education, with disclosure reports also sent to the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Further details about the bill can be found in its full text at https://steube.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/steube.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2024-08-05_SAFE%20Act.pdf.