H.R. 6428

[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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