New York Congressmen Ritchie Torres and Andrew Garbarino Introduce the ‘No Foreign Gifts Act”

Bipartisan legislation would prohibit gifts from foreign nations that fund terrorism from supporting U.S. higher ed

Sep 24, 2024
In the News
Press

Today, Congressmen Ritchie Torres (NY-15) and Andrew Garbarino (NY-02) introduced the No Foreign Gifts Act into the U.S. House of Representatives.

This legislation would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include a prohibition of gifts from foreign nations that have provided financial support of foreign terrorist organizations, including China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. It would also mandate reporting, in so that in order to continue to be eligible to receive funds under this act, an institution must, for each instance where such institution is offered a gift from such a country, report the offer to the Secretary of State.

On the legislation, Rep. Torres released the following statement:

“The No Foreign Gifts Act represents a crucial step toward safeguarding the integrity of our nation’s higher education system from malicious foreign influence, which has become increasingly pronounced in the aftermath of October 7. By prohibiting gifts from countries that have supported foreign terrorist organizations, like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, this legislation would ensure that institutions of higher learning remain free from malign financial manipulation that is corrupting the minds of America’s next generation and causing social disorder. We do not seek to police the content of reasonable discourse at our universities. In fact, we intend to do the exact opposite. Educational institutions must be focused on nurturing the minds of the future, not on advancing the agendas of our adversaries. Anything else is an act of national self-sabotage.”

Rep. Garbarino released the following statement:

“Foreign influence has no place in our education system—especially when it’s aimed at spreading antisemitism and anti-American sentiment on our college campuses. For far too long, radical organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine have been propped up by foreign entities with connections to terrorism. Allowing these malign actors to continue funneling money into our colleges and universities would be the height of recklessness. This legislation seeks to put an end to this dangerous flow of foreign funds, protect our students, and preserve the integrity of our academic institutions.”

The full bill text is attached to this email.

Flashback: In January, Rep. Torres raised the alarm to the New York City Department of Education over “a Qatari-funded map that left out the Jewish state was found posted in a Brooklyn classroom…[He wrote that] ‘the DOE should subject to heightened scrutiny educational content from external entities like the Qatar International Foundation, whose program promoted the image of the Middle East where Israel was nowhere to be found.’”

Recent Posts


Sep 25, 2024
Health

Rep. Ritchie Torres Leads NY Congressional Delegation in Bipartisan Letter Advocating Preservation of Access to Home Health Care

Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) led New York’s Congressional Delegation in a letter to President Joe Biden, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young, and Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to express disapproval of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) CY2025 proposed payment rule. Home health […]



Sep 20, 2024
Public Safety

Congressmen Ritchie Torres and Mike Lawler Celebrate the Passage of their Bipartisan Bill, The Enhanced Presidential Security Act of 2024

Today, New York Congressmen Ritchie Torres (NY-15) and Mike Lawler (NY-17) are celebrating the passage of H.R.9106, the Enhanced Presidential Security Act of 2024, by a vote of 405-0. Reps. Torres and Lawler introduced this bill in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.  The […]



Sep 19, 2024
In the News

Congressman Ritchie Torres Introduces Legislation to Stabilize Puerto Rico’s Electric Grid

Yesterday, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) introduced the Emergency Electric Grid Stabilization Act into the U.S. House of Representatives.  On September 20, 2024, it will be 7 years since Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico. This powerful hurricane destroyed Puerto Rico’s electric grid, and to this day, it has not yet recovered. Rep. Torres has repeatedly called on the […]