ICYMI: Research Community Responds to SAFE Research Act

In August, House Republicans passed their National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2026 along party lines. In an amendment, the House attached the SAFE Research Act, which would create extensive national security barriers to how the Department of Defense can fund research at universities. Among the bills’ provisions is a requirement for funding to be terminated for higher institutions and researchers that partner with “hostile foreign entities,” requiring these connections to be severed for at least five years before they become eligible for federal funding. A list of “hostile foreign entities” would be kept by the Department of Defense.

The Senate, which passed their NDAA earlier this month with bipartisan support, did not include the SAFE Research Act in their bill. As the House and Senate work to reconcile their two versions of the NDAA, several members of the research community have criticized the SAFE Research Act, including the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) who sent a letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees urging them to abandon the bill for concerns it would hinder research advancements and opportunity. Further, they suggested that the current framework of research security is sufficient in protecting the U.S. research infrastructure. Other notable critics of the amendment include House Science and Technology Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) who pointed to the Chips and Science Act’s research security provisions and requested the SAFE Research Act be amended to align with those standards.

Stay tuned for COSSA’s continued coverage on the appropriations process.