Stop Funding Our Adversaries Act of 2023
This bill, introduced by Ms. Tenney and titled the Stop Funding Our Adversaries Act of 2023, would bar federal agencies from funding research that will be conducted in or by Chinese government entities or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or any entities owned or controlled by them. The prohibition applies to all funding mechanisms used by federal agencies (such as grants, contracts, subgrants, cooperative agreements, and similar funding tools) and would cover work conducted by the PRC government, the CCP, or their agents and instrumentality entities, wherever that research is carried out. The text provided covers only the short title and the funding ban; no additional provisions or exceptions are shown. In practical terms, the bill aims to prevent U.S. federal funding from supporting research tied to or conducted by Chinese government-related actors. This could affect collaborations, partnerships, and programs that involve Chinese institutions or government-backed entities, and would require federal agencies to screen and block such funding across all departments listed (and any other federal agency).
Key Points
- 1Short title: The act may be cited as the Stop Funding Our Adversaries Act of 2023.
- 2Prohibition: Federal agencies may not directly or indirectly conduct or support research that will be conducted by the Government of the People’s Republic of China or the Chinese Communist Party, or by agents/instrumentalities or entities owned/controlled by them.
- 3Funding mechanisms covered: The prohibition applies to all funding vehicles used by federal agencies, including grants, subgrants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other funding arrangements.
- 4Agencies affected: The bill specifies several agencies (e.g., Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Energy, EPA, Department of the Interior, Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Human Services) and states that it applies to “any other Federal agency” as well.
- 5Scope of “research”: The bill targets research that will be conducted by PRC government entities or the CCP or their agents/instrumentalities, or entities owned or controlled by them. The exact interpretation of “will be conducted by” and where the research occurs is not fully defined in the excerpt provided.