East Michigan News

Rep. John Moolenaar, a U.S. Congressman representing Michigan’s 2nd district since 2015, recently addressed concerns about foreign influence on university campuses and public funding for NPR in a series of social media posts.

On July 16, 2025, Moolenaar wrote, "The CCP seeks to influence universities with funding from organizations & individuals. Make no mistake these gifts tie back to China’s Communist government. This has no place on campus & we must end this foreign influence. UM should disclose all foreign gifts and follow the law." He called for greater transparency regarding foreign donations to universities and specifically mentioned the University of Michigan.

The following day, July 17, Moolenaar posted two statements related to National Public Radio (NPR) and federal funding. In one post he said, "The rescissions package will allow NPR to be fully independent, and saves taxpayers billions of dollars." In another tweet from the same day, he added: "In 2023, @NPR stopped posting on X after being labeled 'government-funded media,' claiming the taxpayer support it receives is less than 1% of its annual budget. Today, NPR is claiming losing these funds would completely dismantle the organization."

John Moolenaar was born in Midland, Michigan in 1961 and currently resides in Caledonia. Before his tenure in Congress began in 2015—when he succeeded Dave Camp—he served in both chambers of Michigan's state legislature between 2003 and 2014. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Hope College.