ICYMI: House Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Research Security

On December 18, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing titled, Research Security: Examining the Implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act and NSPM-33. Witnesses included Dr. Rebecca Keiser, Acting Chief of Staff, National Science Foundation (NSF); Dr. Daniel Evans, Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Research, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Dr. Patricia Valdez, Chief Extramural Research Integrity Officer, National Institutes of Health (NIH); and Mr. Jay Tilden, Director of the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Subcommittee Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA), joined by House SST Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX), opened the hearing by raising concerns that universities and research organizations have found federal guidelines—including the National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 on National Security Strategy for United States Government-Supported Research and Development or NSPM-33, issued in January 2021, and the CHIPS and Science Act, passed in 2022—to be “confusing, inconsistent, or incomplete.” He commended the efforts of the Trump Administration to protect U.S. scientific research from foreign adversaries and urged a coordinated national response to reduce confusion and fill any gaps in protecting government research and data from theft. During a line of questioning from Rep. Luz Rivas (D-CA), Dr. Keiser stated that NSF would be coordinating with the other agencies to release a memorandum of understanding to assist universities with following their research security guidelines.

While both sides of the aisle spoke to the importance of bolstering research security in the U.S., the Trump Administration’s effect on the scientific enterprise remained a point of contention, with many Democrats arguing that the Trump Administration is undermining the current system. During her line of questioning, Ranking Member Emilia Sykes (D-OH) contended that “the White House is taking a flamethrower to the science research community” through workforce reductions, budget cuts, and agency reorganizations. When questioned by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), each witness stated that research security remains as high a priority for their agency. Further, Mr. Tilden told the committee that “If you were to look at it from Biden to Trump, the efforts that we’re doing internally are in a consistent slope to improve.” He further emphasized the importance of building a pipeline of U.S. scientists, and the necessity of continued funding to support those efforts.

Congresswoman Sykes questioned Dr. Keiser on the current staffing levels at the NSF Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy, which is required by the CHIPS and Science Act to employ four full-time staffers in addition to the Chief of Research Security. While Dr. Keiser assured that the agency was in the process of onboarding a fourth staff member, it was noted that the office previously had seven staffers and had been reduced to three, not including Dr. Keiser who is serving in the office in addition to her role as Acting Chief of Staff. It is unclear whether the staffing shortage was a result of the federal workforce layoffs or budget cuts, but Ranking Member Sykes raised concerns that the current number of staffers was a violation of federal law.

Ranking Member Sykes also pressed the agency on indirect costs, noting that research security officers are often paid by universities using that funding, and to reduce or restrict the funding could further harm their ability to effectively respond to security threats. Rep. Luz Rivas (D-CA) raised concerns that reducing indirect costs could disproportionately affect smaller universities, to which Dr. Keiser assured the Safeguarding the Entire Community in the U.S. Research Ecosystem (SECURE) Program would still prioritize these institutions, and emphasized the need for consistency in funding to address potential threats, echoing Mr. Tilden’s earlier request (see previous COSSA coverage). Dr. Valdez and Mr. Tilden also highlighted the importance of the SECURE Program in harmonizing research security policy across the agencies.

Stay tuned for COSSA’s continued coverage on research security.