Congressman Mike Haridopolos Joins Colleagues in Voting to Defend U.S. Students and Research From Foreign Adversaries

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, Congressman Mike Haridopolos (FL-08) joined his House colleagues in passing the DETERRENT Act—legislation designed to bring greater transparency and clarity to how colleges and universities report foreign gifts. Strengthening these reporting requirements is a key national security step to expose and counter malign foreign influence on America’s campuses. The bill lowers the threshold for disclosing gifts and contracts from foreign sources to the Department of Education, reducing it from $250,000 to $50,000.

“For too long, our academic institutions have been left vulnerable to influence by foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party,” said Congressman Haridopolos. “The DETERRENT Act brings long-overdue transparency and accountability to ensure our students, research, and national security are protected.” 

The legislation strengthens foreign gift reporting requirements for colleges and universities, closes major loopholes, and imposes real consequences for noncompliance, including loss of federal funding. It marks a decisive step to safeguard intellectual property, academic freedom, and U.S. national interests.  

“Thank you to my fellow freshman member, Representative Michael Baumgartner, for sponsoring this crucial legislation” added Haridopolos.