Congress proposes bill to bar adversary nationals from U.S. national labs
Lawmakers are advancing the GATE Act, which would prohibit citizens of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Cuba from entering any Department of Energy national laboratory without a special waiver.
The bill requires a congressional report within 30 days of any waiver and would revoke existing clearances for covered individuals.
Senate Intelligence Committee figures released in 2024 indicated that about 40,000 foreign citizens, including more than 8,000 from China and Russia, entered lab premises in fiscal year 2023. Critics such as Sen. Joni Ernst warned that China has been actively recruiting lab scientists for military projects, and similar concerns were raised about Iranian access. Under the Biden administration, thousands of visits by Chinese, Iranian and Russian nationals to DOE facilities were recorded between 2021 and 2024, and recent data cited by Sen. Cotton show thousands of short-term and long-term Chinese assignments in fiscal year 2025. The proposal is expected to attract broad bipartisan support as a safeguard against technology theft.
Why it matters
It aims to tighten security at U.S. research hubs to prevent foreign espionage and protect critical scientific advances.
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