Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Official Website
Chairman John Moolenaar of the House Select Committee on China and Chairman Chuck Grassley of the Senate Judiciary Committee have sent letters to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and FBI Director Kash Patel. The letters warn about research collaborations involving U.S. taxpayer funding and organizations linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
"We write to you concerning our oversight efforts relating to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence over our nation’s universities and other research institutions. It is well established that our university systems serve as soft targets in China’s quest to acquire U.S. knowledge, research, and intellectual property, which is often funded by our taxpayers," the lawmakers wrote.
The letter refers to a December 17, 2025 investigative report from the House Select Committee on China and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The report details how the CCP uses access to Department of Energy (DOE) resources for its military and technological development. One example cited involves Stanford Professor Wendy Mao, who held a position at both Stanford University and at HPSTAR—an organization within China's Academy of Engineering Physics that has been on the U.S. Commerce Department's Entity List since 1997.
"According to publication data, Professor Mao has at least 58 co-authored publications acknowledging DOE funding or support, including 31 publications with HPSTAR since 2013," they added. "The publication lists only Stanford and Chinese co-authors yet explicitly acknowledges NASA funding, which—absent an FBI-certified congressional waiver—raises questions about potential violations of the Wolf Amendment. That federal law prohibits NASA and NASA-funded researchers from engaging in bilateral collaboration with Chinese entities."
The lawmakers requested information from NASA regarding its internal legal guidance related to enforcement of the Wolf Amendment, as well as processes for monitoring compliance after awards are issued. They also asked how NASA identifies new or undisclosed participation by institutions from China during ongoing projects and what actions are taken if violations are found.
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party reviews economic and security issues arising from competition with China while proposing policy recommendations according to its official website: https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/. As a bipartisan committee within the U.S. House of Representatives, it develops legislation aimed at improving U.S. competitiveness against China and addresses concerns such as technology rivalry, supply chain stability, and national security threats.
More information can be found in their full letters addressed to both NASA and the FBI.
