Pelosi Stonewalls Bill That Would Crack Down on Chinese Influence in U.S. House Dems block bill to crack down on regime-sponsored Confucius Institutes House Democrats are blocking a bill that will curtail the influence of the Chinese-government-funded Confucius Institute, stymying bipartisan legislation that unanimously passed in the Senate. Despite bipartisan support in the upper chamber, House Democratsincluding a cosponsor for the billvoted against placing the CONFUCIUS Act on the agenda in late July, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) has yet to announce plans to place the bill on the floor.