House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Brian Babin submitted a statement for the record on July 15 during the Select Committee on China’s hearing titled ‘Protecting American Innovation: The Federal Research Security Enterprise.’
In his remarks, Babin thanked Chairman Moolenaar for holding the hearing and said, “Today, we are here to address a matter of increasing concern for Congress and the American people: protecting our federally funded research and development enterprise.” He described threats from hostile governments and organizations as real and emphasized that protecting American research is a national security imperative.
Babin outlined that the purpose of the hearing was to ensure laws and directives enacted by Congress and the Executive Branch to protect U.S. research are implemented effectively across federal agencies. He also said it was important to identify gaps where additional guidance may be needed. He referenced National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 issued in 2021 by President Trump, directing agencies to safeguard U.S. government–supported research, followed by congressional action through the CHIPS and Science Act in 2022, which reinforced standards for federal research security.
“These measures form the backbone of our national research security framework,” Babin said. “They are meant to defend American innovation against foreign espionage, cyberattacks, and intellectual property theft—threats that are neither hypothetical nor distant.” He mentioned incidents involving attempts to smuggle federally funded research or sensitive data into or out of the country.
Babin noted that both his committee and others have sent letters seeking information on how agencies implement these requirements. According to him, responses showed significant confusion about expectations, timelines, and enforcement—a vulnerability adversaries could exploit. He said clear guidance from government is necessary so institutions can comply without facing unnecessary administrative burdens or conflicting requirements.
“I hope the goal of today’s discussion is to identify what is working, what needs improvement, and what Congress can do to strengthen our research enterprise,” Babin concluded.