# 119-hr-5253: Protecting American Research and Talent Act

119-hr-5253, Protecting American Research and Talent Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Barr, Andy [R-KY-6] (R-KY); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5253
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5253
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protecting American Research and Talent Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-10
- Sponsor: Rep. Barr, Andy [R-KY-6] (R-KY)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Would limit federal funding for certain foreign-linked university research collaborations.** It would prohibit federal grants or contracts for fundamental research done in collaboration with specified "covered entities" unless an agency grants a narrow, case-by-case waiver and institutions meet strict eligibility rules. - Colleges and universities would face new eligibility hurdles. To qualify for a waiver an institution would need less than 15% international enrollment and less than 5% of its international students from a foreign country of concern. - International students from State-declared persecuted groups would not count toward those caps. The Secretary of State would create country-by-country lists of persecuted groups for that exclusion. - Federal agencies would gain a narrow waiver power but also new transparency duties. Agencies would have to notify Congress within 30 days of any waiver and send annual compliance reports listing applicants, waivers, the types of collaborations allowed, and intellectual property terms.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Ban on foreign-linked college collaborations: cost, high. If enacted, federal agencies would be barred from funding college grants or contracts for fundamental research done with a covered entity. Covered entities would include some Chinese military‑linked firms and certain Chinese universities, and people tied to them. Collaboration would be defined broa…
- Narrow waivers with enrollment caps: mixed, medium. If enacted, an agency head could waive the ban for a single award only if it serves U.S. national security. A college would qualify only if under 15% of all students are international and under 5% of its international students are from countries of concern. Students from persecuted groups in those…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-4312: SCORE Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6955: Main Street Capital Access Act
- 119-hr-8398: Guidelines for Use, Access, and Responsible Disclosure of Financial Data Act
- 119-hr-2246: Foreign Investment Guardrails to Help Thwart (FIGHT) China Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-5253 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5253)

## Related
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-4312: SCORE Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4312)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-6955: Main Street Capital Access Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6955)
- [119-hr-8398: Guidelines for Use, Access, and Responsible Disclosure of Financial Data Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8398)
- [119-hr-2246: Foreign Investment Guardrails to Help Thwart (FIGHT) China Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2246)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5253 (as of 2026-04-21).