[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6428 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6428
To require the Secretary of State to submit a report on participation
in educational and cultural exchange programs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 4, 2025
Mr. Bera (for himself and Mr. Wilson of South Carolina) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of State to submit a report on participation
in educational and cultural exchange programs.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PROMOTING UNITED STATES EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE
PROGRAMS.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) Congress recognizes the critical role of international
exchange and study abroad programs in advancing United States
national security interests, strengthening diplomatic ties, and
fostering global leadership skills among emerging leaders,
particularly in regions vital to United States strategic
interests;
(2) educational and cultural exchange programs are critical
soft power tools for building influence with the next
generation of leaders in partner nations;
(3) the People's Republic of China is actively deploying
such programs to expand its influence; and
(4) the United States must expand and strengthen its own
exchange programs to maintain and advance United States
strategic interests globally.
(b) Reporting Requirements.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, the
Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report that includes--
(A) a list, disaggregated by country, of the number
of individuals who participated in educational or
cultural exchange programs sponsored or funded by the
People's Republic of China in the previous year;
(B) a list, disaggregated by country, of the number
of individuals who participated in a program described
in paragraph (2) in the previous year;
(C) in coordination with the Monitoring,
Evaluation, Learning, and Innovation Unit, for each
program described in paragraph (2)--
(i) the amount of funds provided by the
United States for the program;
(ii) the number of participants in the
program;
(iii) the number of cohorts in the program;
(iv) the countries of origin of the
participants in the program;
(v) the ages of the participants in the
program;
(vi) the percent of participants in the
program who reported a more favorable opinion
of the United States Government following
participation in the program;
(vii) the percent of foreign participants
who traveled to the United States for the first
time during the program;
(viii) the percent of foreign participants
who reported that they are more likely to
recommend the United States as a good place to
study following participation in the program;
(ix) the percent of foreign participants
who reported a more favorable opinion of United
States citizens following participation in the
program;
(x) the percent of foreign participants who
reported an increased understanding of United
States culture and values as a result of
participation in the program;
(xi) the percent of participants who agreed
with statements in support of democratic values
following participation in the program;
(xii) the percent of foreign participants
who reported an increased network of United
States citizens as a result of participation in
the program; and
(xiii) the percent of participants who
reported that they understand that the program
they participated in is a Department of State
program;
(D) an assessment of trends of participation in the
programs described in subparagraph (A) and paragraph
(2) and an analysis of the implications of such trends
for United States diplomatic and strategic interests;
and
(E) an analysis of the impact of such programs on
the diplomatic standing and strategic influence of the
United States and the People's Republic of China in
each respective country.
(2) Programs described.--The programs described in this
paragraph are the following:
(A) The Fulbright Program.
(B) The Young African Leaders Initiative, including
the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
(C) The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative.
(D) The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study
Program.
(E) The Future Leaders Exchange Program.
(F) Any educational or cultural exchange program
sponsored or funded by the United States that was
previously included in a report required by paragraph
(1).
(G) In the case of any report required by paragraph
(1) submitted after the first such report, not fewer
than 10 educational or cultural exchange programs
sponsored or funded by the United States that have not
been included in a previous such report.
(3) Form.--The reports required in this subsection shall be
submitted in an unclassified form, but may include a classified
annex.
(c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section,
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
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