Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. CHU. Mr. Chairman, as chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I rise in strong opposition to the DETERRENT Act.

The DETERRENT Act would burden higher education institutions and Federal agencies by needlessly complicating existing research security measures. Further, the bill would impose unreasonably expansive reporting requirements on individual researchers. What is worse is that it would broadcast their personal information on public databases; therefore, casting a chilling effect disproportionately on the Asian- American academic community.

From the incarceration of Japanese Americans in World War II to racial profiling of Chinese-American scientists under the failed China Initiative, countless Asian Americans have had their lives destroyed because our government falsely accused them of being spies. Already, 72 percent of Asian-American academic researchers report feeling unsafe.

Safeguarding national security can be done through commonsense reforms that Democrats have offered that don't come at the expense of U.S. scientific innovation, global collaboration, and the Asian- American community. In fact, Congressman Bobby Scott has submitted such an amendment that is a commonsense reform.

Meanwhile, this bill, the DETERRENT Act, is a bill that I urge all my colleagues to vote ``no'' on.

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