House Select Committee on China Holds Hearing on Federal Research Security

On July 15, the House Select Committee on China held a hearing titled, Protecting American Innovation: The Federal Research Security Enterprise. Witnesses included: Mr. Jeremy Ison, Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy; Dr. Patricia Valdez, Chief Extramural Research Integrity Officer, National Institutes of Health (NIH); and Dr. Rebecca Keiser, Acting Chief of Staff and Chief of Research Security Policy and Strategy, National Science Foundation (NSF).

During his opening statements, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) stated that China’s growing scientific research enterprise is a significant threat to the U.S. and argued that greater guardrails are necessary to protect U.S. research, including restricting universities from using federal research funding for collaboration with restricted countries. However, when remarks turned to Ranking Member Ro Khanna (D-CA), the conversation shifted to actions taken by the Trump Administration that are damaging the U.S. scientific research enterprise. Representative Jill Tokuda (D-HI) questioned how research agencies would be able to fulfil their Congressional mandates amidst the recent budget and personnel cuts. Further, regarding the abrupt termination of the National Science Board, which serves as the policymaking and oversight body of NSF and as an independent advisor to the President and Congress on federal science policy, Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) argued, “It undermines America’s leadership in science. It disrupts grant approvals. It slows research progress.”

A recording of the hearing is available on the Select Committee website.