PRIA Logo™
119-s-2755119th CongressWALLET

Protecting American Research and Talent Act

Sponsored By: Senator Cotton, Tom [R-AR]

Introduced

Summary

Block federal funding for certain university collaborations with covered foreign-affiliated entities. The Protecting American Research and Talent Act would bar federal grants or contracts that fund fundamental research at institutions of higher education when that work is done in collaboration with defined “covered entities,” while allowing narrow, case-by-case waivers and new reporting rules to track exceptions and risks.

Show full summary
  • Institutions of higher education would lose federal support for fundamental research done with covered entities unless they receive a waiver. To be eligible for a waiver an institution would generally need international enrollment under 15 percent and students from foreign countries of concern under 5 percent of its international student body, and students who belong to State Department–listed persecuted groups would not count toward those caps.
  • Federal agencies would have case-by-case waiver authority when a waiver serves U.S. national security interests. An agency head would be required to notify Congress within 30 days of any waiver and to include detailed waiver justifications in annual reports, including technology type, duration, and intellectual property terms.
  • The bill would cast a wide net over who counts as a covered entity or person. It would pull in certain foreign academic institutions named in recent defense laws, specified Chinese universities, and individuals linked by employment, funding, degrees, or foreign talent programs, and it would let the Secretary of Defense expand what counts as collaboration to include sharing facilities, data, funding, visas, advisory roles, and related activities.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 1 mixed.

Ban on certain federally funded research

This bill would bar Federal funds from paying for grants or contracts that fund fundamental research at U.S. colleges when that work is done in collaboration with a covered foreign or defense-linked partner. Agencies would only be able to allow such awards through a narrow, case-by-case waiver. Colleges, researchers, and students could lose access to some federal collaborations unless a waiver is granted.

Which partners and research count

This bill would use broad, detailed definitions to decide what research and partners are covered. "Collaboration" would include sharing labs, data, know-how, money, fellowships or visas, joint ventures, or using researchers as consultants, and the Defense Secretary could add more activities. "Covered entity" would include named defense-linked institutions, certain universities in the People’s Republic of China, and people tied to those institutions or talent programs. The bill would adopt an existing statute's list of "countries of concern," define "fundamental research" by NSSD-189, and treat departments, researchers, and foreign branches as part of an institution.

Waivers for individual research awards

This bill would let a federal agency head waive the ban for a single grant or contract if the agency finds it is in the national security interest. An institution would be eligible for a waiver only if under 15% of its students are international and under 5% of its international students are from a country of concern (students the State Department lists as persecuted do not count toward those caps). Agencies must notify Congress within 30 days of any award that used a waiver and must send yearly reports with applicant lists, enrollment stats, and full explanations of each waiver and the allowed collaboration, including IP terms.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Cotton, Tom [R-AR]

AR • R

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL]

    FL • R

    Sponsored 9/10/2025

  • Rep. Mullin, Markwayne [R-OK-2]

    OK • R

    Sponsored 9/10/2025

  • Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]

    TX • R

    Sponsored 9/10/2025

  • Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC]

    NC • R

    Sponsored 9/15/2025

  • Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]

    TN • R

    Sponsored 9/16/2025

  • Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY]

    WY • R

    Sponsored 10/3/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation