Exclusive: House GOP investigates NSF research security
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
House Republicans are investigating the security of research taking place at the National Science Foundation, per a letter shared exclusively with Axios.
Driving the news: The House Science and Oversight and Accountability committees are pushing forward with an investigation after the FBI found that U.S. research labs are "susceptible to undisclosed and illegal transfers of information, technology and intellectual property."
- In 2021, NSF's Office of the Inspector General testified before Congress that cases involving foreign influence "represented 63% of the OIG's workload," per the letter.
- The letter from House Oversight Chair James Comer and House Science Chair Frank Lucas outlines other examples of the NSF having affiliations with foreign governments and other alleged conflicts of interest.
What they're saying: "The CHIPS and Science Act authorized $81 billion over a span of five years to NSF, doubling the size of the agency," Comer and Lucas wrote in the letter, which includes eight questions for NSF director Sethuraman Panchanathan to reply to by Nov. 14.
- "Given this increase, it is important that the agency ensures that American taxpayer-funded research is protected against theft and exploitation by foreign interests."
- "Defending American research is essential to maintaining U.S. scientific competitiveness and safeguarding economic and national security. This will require proactive oversight and NSF should be an active participant with research institutions to protect American science."
The other side: "NSF takes research security extremely seriously, and the agency has taken a leading role to safeguard taxpayer investments in research," NSF spokesperson Joshua Chamot said.
- "We appreciate the actions from Congress in the CHIPS and Science Act, and NSF will continue to work with Congress on this critical issue."
