UC Berkeley targeted in Trump admin probe over foreign funding allegations
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The U.C. Berkeley campus on March 8, 2022, in Berkeley, California. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The Trump administration announced an investigation into the University of California, Berkeley, on Friday over allegations it failed to disclose millions in funding from a foreign government.
The big picture: The move comes after President Trump signed an executive order this week requiring higher education institutions to report significant sources of foreign funding.
Driving the news: The Department of Education said Friday it sent a letter to the university in 2023 after media reports alleged UC Berkeley failed to disclose hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign government funding.
- In two responses the same year, "Berkeley acknowledged having failed to report" the money and "detailed its multiyear effort to cultivate a close relationship with and secure financial commitments from foreign government-controlled entities."
- The department said Friday that "Berkeley's responses revealed a fundamental misunderstanding" regarding its reporting obligations.
The other side: "Over the course of the last two years, UC Berkeley has been cooperating with federal inquiries regarding 117 reporting issues, and will continue to do so," university spokesperson Dan Mogulof told Axios.
Between the lines: A congressional committee focused on national security threats from China said in 2023 it had "grave" concerns about a research partnership between UC Berkeley and several Chinese entities.
- The university said at the time that it responded to Department of Education inquiries with detailed information about gifts and contracts related to the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute.
What they're saying: Secretary of Education Linda McMahon accused the Biden administration of "[turning] a blind eye to colleges and universities' legal obligations by deprioritizing oversight and allowing foreign gifts to pour onto American campuses."
- She said in a statement that despite widespread compliance failures, no new investigations over foreign funding were initiated, and ongoing investigations were closed prematurely.
Zoom out: The Department of Education under Trump has launched investigations into dozens of colleges and universities and threatened to cut off federal funding.
- The administration has been pressuring America's educational institutions to meet its demands or risk losing funding and tax-exempt status.
Go deeper: Feds probe alleged "race-exclusionary practices" at UC Berkeley
