Sponsors (7)
The bill increases oversight and attempts to protect against foreign influence in federally funded university research (while exempting persecuted students), but does so in a way that risks cutting funding, restricting academic collaboration, and adding administrative burdens that could disrupt research and careers.
Students at qualifying colleges can still participate in federally funded fundamental research through a case‑by‑case waiver process, preserving research access and career pathways for affected students and schools.
Federal agencies must notify Congress within 30 days of waiver decisions and provide annual reports, increasing transparency and oversight of foreign collaborations and waiver justifications.
Members of persecuted groups (refugees and others fleeing persecution) are excluded from enrollment‑cap calculations, preventing them from being penalized and protecting their ability to study and conduct research.
Colleges and universities that collaborate with covered foreign entities risk losing federal research funding and related jobs — and may face that loss even when collaborations pose minimal risk — creating major uncertainty for research programs and long‑term planning.
Researchers and students affiliated with covered entities or institutions with higher shares of students from specified countries could be excluded from collaborations, limiting academic freedom, international exchange, and scientific collaboration.
The requirement for case‑by‑case waivers, 30‑day congressional notices, and detailed annual reporting will increase administrative burden for federal agencies and institutions, potentially slowing funding decisions and project starts.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars federal grants/contracts for fundamental research with certain foreign‑linked covered entities unless agencies grant a national security waiver for eligible institutions and report to Congress.
Prohibits federal funds from being used to award grants or contracts that fund fundamental research conducted in collaboration with certain foreign-linked “covered entities,” while creating a case-by-case waiver process. Agencies can waive the prohibition only for institutions whose international students are under 15% of enrollment and whose students from any single foreign country of concern are under 5% of the international student body (excluding students who are members of State Department‑listed persecuted groups). Agencies must notify Congress within 30 days of any waived award and submit annual reports listing applicants, waiver requests, enrollment data, and details and justifications for granted waivers.
Introduced September 10, 2025 by Thomas Bryant Cotton · Last progress September 10, 2025