Today, I submitted a written testimony before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State and Related Programs. Click here to download a full PDF of the testimony.
Chairman Diaz-Balart, Ranking Member Frankel, and Members of the Subcommittee:
Thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony. My name is Dan Lips. I am a senior fellow with the Foundation for American Innovation, an organization with a mission to develop technology, talent, and ideas that support a better, freer, and more abundant future. I respectfully request that the Subcommittee direct the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs to prepare two reports regarding the Bureau’s role in managing the vetting of international students applying for F and M visas and educating students about American history, government, and values.
During the 20th century, especially the Cold War, student visas and academic exchange programs were a pillar of American public diplomacy and essential to winning the hearts and minds of foreign students. For example, the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 established an educational exchange service to promote “a better understanding of the United States in other countries and to increase mutual understanding.” Historian Yale Richmond, a longtime U.S. foreign service officer, credited foreign exchange programs as a factor that drove internal change within the former Soviet Union. The more than 50,000 Soviet citizens who traveled to the United States through academic and cultural exchange programs were exposed to American ideas and “prepared the way for Gorbachev’s glasnost, perestroika, and the end of the Cold War,” Richmond argued.
In the 21st century, foreign student visas and academic exchange programs are no longer focused on educating foreigners about American values or winning hearts and minds. Today, the ideological purpose of the U.S. student visa program is unclear amid growing concerns about the leadership of American postsecondary institutions and schools’ ability and commitment to teach students about American values. For example, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni reports that less than 20 percent of American colleges and universities require students to take a U.S. government or history course. In October, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce issued a report detailing a comprehensive investigation of antisemitism on college campuses. “Information obtained by the Committee reveals a stunning lack of accountability by university leaders for students engaging in antisemitic harassment, assault, trespass, and destruction of school property,” the report concluded. Growing recognition of widespread antisemitism follows years of bipartisan concern that American higher education has been exploited by foreign adversaries, in particular the Chinese government. For example, bipartisan Senate investigations have exposed how the Chinese government has exploited the openness of American higher education to promote Chinese propaganda and compromised the U.S. research enterprise. Last fall, a House report, “CCP on the Quad,” detailed extensive links between U.S. government-funded research and researchers at American colleges and universities working with researchers tied to the Chinese government.
To improve the Bureau of Consular Affairs oversight of student visas applications, I recommend the following.
First, the Subcommittee should direct the Bureau of Cultural Affairs to report to Congress with recommendations and options for reforming the foreign student exchange program to educate students about the United States and promote American values. In preparing recommendations and options, the Bureau of Consular Affairs should evaluate the strategy of using a modified version of the civics portion of the U.S. citizenship exam, akin to the one administered to naturalization candidates, as a component of the student visa application process. Requiring students to pass a test similar to the civics portion of the citizenship test would require international students to study and demonstrate an essential mastery of American history, the Constitution, and the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens.
Second, the Subcommittee should require the Bureau of Cultural Affairs to prepare a report and provide data describing current vetting procedures for F and M student visa applicants. This report should evaluate the following factors: the efficiency of the student visa application process, including the average time spent during interviews and the number of interviews conducted daily per officer; staffing levels at key consular posts and the impact on processing times; the adequacy of the information and documentation submitted by applicants before interviews, such as the DS-160 form, I-20, and financial support documents; and the security and risk screening measures in place to prevent fraud and ensure national security.
To summarize, Congress and the State Department should review the current operations of the foreign student visa program and implement reforms to ensure that the opportunity to study in the United States involves some degree of learning about the United States, including our history, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and the responsibilities of American citizenship. Further, Congress and the State Department are responsible for conducting sufficient and fair vetting of international students applying for visas to study in the United States. These reporting requirements would be a first step toward future congressional or executive action to strengthen this critical program and to leverage this program for American public diplomacy.
