Q&A: Foreign Threats to U.S. Research

 

A: As a longtime taxpayer watchdog, I keep check on taxpayer dollars as they make their way through the federal pipeline – from the nation’s defense to farm payments, medical research, criminal justice, veterans benefits and the health care safety net. As chairman of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, I work to save and stretch every tax dollar. On top of that, I conduct robust oversight to ensure tax revenue is spent as effectively and efficiently as possible. For decades I’ve led a crusade to root out misspending and mismanagement throughout the federal bureaucracy. The misuse and abuse of taxpayer money can dip into economic espionage and put national security at risk. When I get a whiff of wrongdoing, I start digging for answers. A few years ago when I was informed about potentially unethical and fraudulent activity occurring in research institutions with projects funded by the taxpayer, I stepped up my oversight work on this issue. It often starts with a letter to a federal agency and may lead to a request for an internal investigation by the Inspector General (IG) for that agency. Other tools I use to extract accountability include convening congressional hearings or using Senate parliamentary tools to hold up a nomination or funding. Don’t forget, whistleblowers and journalists also provide essential rays of sunshine to expand transparency and good government. The biggest weapon in the congressional arsenal is arguably the constitutional power of the purse strings. When lawmakers open the spigot for taxpayer-funded research, it’s our job to uphold the integrity of that research and to ensure the government is doing what’s necessary to detect and deter foreign threats and theft of intellectual property and innovation. Iowans may recall in 2011 when a Chinese national attempted to steal genetically modified seeds from a field in Iowa. He was digging up dirt in a Tama County corn plot to dig up trade secrets on patented U.S. seeds developed by a private American company for a Chinese conglomerate. According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, Chinese companies cost U.S. businesses tens of billions of dollars in intellectual property infringement. If there were any doubt about what’s happening right under our own noses, consider the Chinese government has said it is “picking flowers in foreign lands to make honey in China.” As a family farmer, I know what a load of manure smells like. And as the senior senator from Iowa, my answer to the Chinese proverb is plain and simple: Buzz off. The U.S. government isn’t going to cultivate and develop the seeds of technology and let China or other foreign adversaries pluck the fruits of our harvest at American taxpayer expense.  Not on my watch.

 

 

A: So far, my oversight work has raised a number of red flags. Foreign adversaries, especially the Chinese, are engaging in backdoor methods to transfer knowledge and technology and cheat their way to prosperity. I’ve written oversight letters to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Departments of Defense, Justice and the Health and Human Services IG regarding the clear and present danger to taxpayer-funded research. Intellectual piracy poses real risk to U.S. institutions, investment and innovation. The United States has a big target on its back. Foreign powers and competitors are eager to get their hands on our scientific discoveries and innovations, especially in the areas of information technology, biomedical engineering and biosciences, agriculture, pharmacology, genetics, aviation, military technology and communications. My hearing in June will focus on threats to taxpayer-funded medical research. Every year, the NIH spends more than 39 billion tax dollars on medical research. It’s vital to American patients and taxpayers for the federal government to take an effective, collaborative approach with the research community that protects the integrity of this research and investment. Foreign threats to taxpayer-funded research includes spying, theft of intellectual property and disclosure of confidential information. Foreign nationals who don’t play by the rules or who steal research from U.S. institutions are a threat to our economy, our institutions and patient outcomes. From my oversight, I’ve learned that the NIH earlier this year referred for investigation a dozen cases for failing to disclose foreign affiliations on federal grant applications conducted primarily at U.S. universities. The Senate Finance Committee will hear from government witnesses to examine the scope of the threat and consider additional tools that may be needed to combat foreign efforts to steal or compromise sensitive research funded by U.S. government grants. I look forward to publicizing this issue and identifying solutions our executive and legislative branches can put into place as soon as possible.