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From the Daily Caller: The Department of Education (ED) opened an investigation into the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Friday over its reported ties to Chinese sources, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.
ED claims the university has failed to report “hundreds of millions of dollars” it received from foreign government over a span of several years, prompting the department to initiate a records request, the DCNF was told. The foreign funding sparks concerns the school has “deep involvements with Chinese entities” and may be sharing information about research and “important technologies.”
The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2023 found “grave research security concerns” with UC Berkeley due to the school’s partnership with the CCP-controlled Tsinghua University and the Shenzhen government.
READ MORE from the Daily Caller.
In a press release on Friday, the Department of Education shared the following:
Background:
- This week, President Trump signed an Executive Order to bolster transparency requirements regarding foreign funds flowing to American higher education and research institutions. In part, it directs the Secretary of Education to: 1) Reverse or rescind any actions by the prior Administration that allow universities to obscure details regarding their foreign funding; and 2) Require universities to disclose the true source and purpose of foreign funds.
- In May 2023, credible news media reports indicated that Berkeley had failed to disclose to the Department hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from a foreign government.
- After its review of those reports and of Berkeley’s Section 117 disclosure submissions, on June 6, 2023, the Department sent a letter to Berkeley requesting that it address these allegations.
- In its responses (dated June 16, 2023, and July 7, 2023), Berkeley acknowledged having failed to report millions of dollars in foreign government funding, as required by Section 117 and detailed its multiyear effort to cultivate a close relationship with and secure financial commitments from foreign government-controlled entities.
- Berkeley’s responses revealed a fundamental misunderstanding regarding its Section 117 reporting obligations.
As part of enforcement of Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (requiring postsecondary institutions to disclose foreign gifts/contracts worth $250,000+), ED is investigating foreign funding disclosures at the University of California, Berkeley: https://t.co/3OoSsk0wD8 pic.twitter.com/QNdQBCwcvN
— U.S. Department of Education (@usedgov) April 25, 2025
🚨BREAKING🚨: The Department of Education has opened an investigation into UC Berkeley over its alleged “deep involvements with Chinese entities” pic.twitter.com/3AYqeudY7L
— Jaryn Crouson (@Jaryn_Crouson) April 25, 2025
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