Alabama A&M closing its Confucius Institute because of federal funding ban
Updated Apr 22, 2021;
Alabama A&M University’s executive committee has voted to close the Confucius Institute at the university after notification from the federal government that it could lose eligibility for some federal funds.
The executive committee made the decision Saturday. Congressman Mo Brooks of Huntsville, a critic of Confucius Institutes because of their connections to the Chinese government, applauded the decision and urged Troy University, which also has a Confucius Institute, to do the same. Troy University said no decision has been made.
An April 6 letter from the Under Secretary of Defense to Alabama A&M President Andrew Hugine Jr., said the Defense Department would not provide grants, contracts, or other funds to universities hosting Confucius Institutes, which are based in China. Congress put the funding prohibition in the defense authorization act for 2021.