# 119-s-2755: Protecting American Research and Talent Act

119-s-2755, Protecting American Research and Talent Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2755
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2755
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protecting American Research and Talent Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-10
- Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## 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. - 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.

## Cosponsors (6)

- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL), 2025-09-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Markwayne [R-OK-2] (R-OK), 2025-09-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX), 2025-09-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY), 2025-10-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Ban on certain federally funded research: cost, low. 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. Col…
- Which partners and research count: cost, low. 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. "Cover…
- Waivers for individual research awards: mixed, low. 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…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act
- 119-s-587: Death Tax Repeal Act of 2025
- 119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-2755 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2755)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [119-s-587: Death Tax Repeal Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-587)
- [119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-186)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2755 (as of 2026-04-21).