A coalition of House GOP lawmakers is gearing up to introduce legislation preventing Chinese nationals from obtaining U.S. student visas, according to a new report.

On Wednesday, Fox News revealed that Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., is preparing to file the Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act, or the “Stop CCP VISAs Act,” later this week. The legislation, according to the outlet, is intended to block what the congressman contended is Beijing’s “exploitation” of America’s student visa program to undermine U.S. interests.

A copy of the measure obtained by Fox stipulates that, “An alien who is a national of the People’s Republic of China may not be issued a visa or otherwise provided status as a non-immigrant … for the purpose of conducting research or pursuing a course of study.” GOP Reps. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, and Brandon Gill of Texas are among those expected to co-sponsor the bill.

U.S. intelligence officials have warned in recent years how the Chinese Communist Party has used America’s student visa program to further its own goals for regional and global dominance.

In 2019, for instance, the first Trump administration’s Office of the Director of National Intelligence released its “Worldwide Threat Assessment,” which disclosed that “China’s intelligence services will exploit the openness of American society, especially academia and the scientific community, using a variety of means.”

Despite Beijing’s increasingly antagonistic behavior toward America and its allies, however, the U.S. has continued to grant hundreds of thousands of student visas to Chinese nationals every year.

As The Blaze’s Daniel Horowitz recently reported, “In the 2023-24 academic year, 123,000 Chinese nationals were enrolled in [U.S.] graduate programs, many in sensitive STEM fields.” An additional 62,000, he noted, “participated in ‘optional practical training,’ allowing them to work in those fields while still on student visas.”

“Beyond student visas, the U.S. grants over 20,000 H-1B visas to Chinese nationals each year, along with more than 12,000 J-1 visas for scholars and tens of thousands of additional work visas,” Horowitz wrote. “Over the past 30 years, the U.S. has issued nearly 2 million green cards to Chinese nationals — more than any country except Mexico — despite clear evidence of China’s long-running campaign of economic and academic subversion.”

Speaking with Fox, Moore cited an October 2024 FBI indictment involving five Chinese nationals who were charged for allegedly spying on a U.S. military base in Northern Michigan. According to Campus Reform, the five individuals — who had recently graduated from the University of Michigan — were purportedly taking photos of military equipment during an August 2023 training exercise between U.S. National Guard forces and Taiwanese military personnel.

“We’ve literally invited the CCP to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security,” Moore said. “It’s time we turn off the spigot and immediately ban all student visas going to Chinese nationals.”

Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood