This Arizona congressman is the first to co-sponsor embattled Rep. George Santos' bill

Embattled Rep. George Santos has secured his first House colleague as a co-sponsor this session: Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona.

Santos, R-N.Y., has introduced 28 bills, but has been struggling to escape nearly six months of scandals. In May, it was revealed that Santos had been indicted on 13 counts: seven of wire fraud, three of money laundering, one of theft of public funds and two of making false statements to the House of Representatives.

The bill, known as the "Defund the CCP on Campus Act of 2023," seeks to prohibit the availability of federal funds to institutions of higher education that fund Confucius Institutes.

According to the Congressional Research Service, Confucius Institutes are sponsored by the Chinese government and offer instruction in Chinese language at universities around the world. They were created to improve China's international image and reduce misconceptions about China.

Gosar, R-Ariz., did not respond to The Arizona Republic's request for comment.

Confucius Institutes in Arizona: ASU closes China-funded institute after Defense Department gives ultimatum

Arizona State University had a Confucius Institute from the years of 2007 to 2019. The closing was prompted by the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2019 fiscal year, which prohibited universities from hosting an institute while receiving funding for Chinese language study from the U.S. Department of Defense.

The following year, the institute at the University of Arizona closed because of "changes in federal law and policy," the Tucson-based Arizona Daily Star reported.

As of December 2022, there were seven institutes in the United States, according to the Congressional Research Service.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Reps. George Santos, Paul Gosar want to prohibit Confucius Institutes