US lawmakers killed a proposal targeting science efforts with China, and did this instead
US researchers and industry experts warn that even the revised version may have unintended consequences
The SAFE (Securing American Funding and Expertise from Adversarial Research Exploitation) Research Act would have denied federal funding to any US researcher working with scientists from China and several other countries, but it did not make it into the US$901 billion National Defence Authorisation Act for the 2026 financial year.
The proposal, introduced by Michigan Republican Representative John Moolenaar, was widely criticised by the US research community, including senior academics and major scientific organisations.
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Lin Haifan, a cell biologist at Yale University, told Science magazine that such a measure could “accelerate the breakdown of the people-to-people trust” that was key to scientific collaboration.
“Without this kind of positive energy, the US and China will become more and more polarised and eventually become each other’s enemy,” he said last month.
In an October 29 open letter led by Stanford physicists Steven Kivelson and Peter Michelson, more than 750 scholars and researchers said the United States must foster collaboration and attract global talent to maintain its research competitiveness and leadership.
“Unfortunately, provisions of the SAFE Research Act, while perhaps well intended, will hurt our ability to do this,” said the letter, which was signed by Nobel laureates, including former US energy secretary Steven Chu and chemist William Moerner.
The defence bill, now awaiting President Donald Trump’s signature, does include new restrictions aimed at the medical industry and supply chains, blocking federal funds from going to biotechnology companies linked to so-called adversaries, including China.
Among them is the Biosecure Act, a long-debated proposal pushed by China hawks in Congress to reduce US reliance on Chinese biotech companies and prevent sensitive health and genetic data from flowing to Beijing.
However, the version passed on Wednesday softened earlier proposals and avoided naming companies directly. Instead, it leaves the decision to the White House and federal agencies, which will determine which companies should be barred from receiving federal contracts or grants.
US researchers and industry experts have warned that even the revised version could have unintended consequences.
“I am concerned that this bill could cause damage to pharmaceutical supply chains that are important for saving lives here in the US and internationally,” Jaime Yassif of the Nuclear Threat Initiative told Science in September.