GOP lawmakers introduce bill capping international student-athletes

Two Republican lawmakers are introducing a bill that would put a cap on the number of international students college sports teams can add to their rosters.

The Training and Education for American Members in University Sports and Athletics Act would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require colleges and universities participating in Title IV federal student aid programs to limit international student participation to no more than 20 percent of each varsity team’s roster.

Schools would also be required to report international student participation on each team annually to the Department of Education and the applicable athletic association under the bill.

The goal of the measure is to “protect opportunities for American student-athletes,” House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) say, arguing for every scholarship that goes to an international student, an American student-athlete “must find another way to finance higher education.”

“American colleges and universities should first and foremost provide opportunities for American students,” Walberg said in a statement. “This bill restores balance by protecting roster spots for American student-athletes. America has built the strongest collegiate athletic system in the world, and we should make sure it continues to develop the next generation of American students and American Olympians.”

Husted, in a statement of his own, made reference to the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation regulating the big business of college sports around issues like the transfer portal, revenue sharing and name, image and likeness money paid to student-athletes.

“American colleges and universities are increasingly giving scholarships and limited roster spots to foreign athletes, and the growth of NIL money only creates more incentive for foreign athletes to cash in on the American system,” the Republican senator said. “If the U.S. Congress is being asked to ‘save college sports’ we should save it for American student-athletes.”

The lawmakers estimate that since 2001, the number of international students receiving scholarships has nearly tripled, from about 8,945 to roughly 25,000.

In multiple sports, international students account for more than a third of participants, with some exceeding 60 percent, they say.

Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) continue to whip votes for the Protect College Sports Act, a measure that would shield the NCAA from litigation around the enforcement of its rules.

The legislation’s detractors, including a number of labor unions and the NAACP, argue it would hand the NCAA too much power and negatively impact minority student-athletes.

The measure could see a vote in the Senate as soon as Tuesday.