H.R. 6428 requires the State Department to submit a comprehensive report within 180 days of the law's enactment, and then every 5 years thereafter, on educational and cultural exchange programs. The bill directs the Secretary of State to compare U.S. participation in programs like the Fulbright Program, the Young African Leaders Initiative, and the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative against Chinese exchange program participation, with detailed metrics on funding, participant numbers, countries involved, and effectiveness measures such as whether participants developed more favorable views of the United States and its values. The legislation stems from Congress's concern that China is using exchange programs as a strategic tool to influence emerging leaders globally, and that the United States needs better data to assess whether its own programs are effectively competing for influence in key regions. The reports must be submitted to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in unclassified form, though classified annexes are permitted. This bill affects the State Department and U.S. international exchange program administrators, who will need to gather and compile detailed participant feedback and outcome data for the reports.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.