Politico | Trump administration demands US think tanks disclose foreign funding
- Move comes amid growing concern about role outside governments – such as China and Russia – play in shaping academic and policy debates in United States
- Institutions that fail to do so risk losing access to State Department officials, Mike Pompeo warns
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Nahal Toosi on politico.com on October 13, 2020.
What happened
The Trump administration is demanding that US think tanks and academic institutions publicly disclose what funding they receive from foreign governments or otherwise risk losing access to State Department officials.
The move, unveiled in a statement on Tuesday by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, comes amid growing bipartisan concern about the role outside governments, ranging from China to the United Arab Emirates, play in shaping academic and policy debates in the United States.
“To protect the integrity of civil society institutions, the [State] Department requests henceforth that think tanks and other foreign policy organisations that wish to engage with the department disclose prominently on their websites funding they receive from foreign governments, including state-owned or state-operated subsidiary entities,” Pompeo said in the statement.
“Disclosure is not a requirement for engaging with such entities,” he added. “Department staff will, however, be mindful of whether disclosure has been made and of specific funding sources that are disclosed when determining whether and how to engage.”
The background
It is not clear what immediately prompted the demand for disclosure, but critics have long raised concerns about think tanks and universities being a conduit for foreign funds.