A Republican senator plans to propose an amendment to a bipartisan bill on competition with China to ensure scholarships and grants provided by the National Science Foundation only go to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
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The proposal from Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Wyoming Republican, is for the Endless Frontier Act, which is aimed at reducing the technological gap between the United States and other countries, with an emphasis on China, by investing in technology and scientific research. The bill, spearheaded by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Todd Young, will be getting marked up by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Wednesday.
“If the U.S. is going to make a big investment in scholarships and grants to help us compete with China, then we should be making sure that those scholarships and grants go to educate people who are invested in the success of the United States for the long-term: our citizens and permanent residents,” Lummis told the Washington Examiner.
The overall bill would rename the National Science Foundation the National Science and Technology Foundation and expand it with a five-year, $100 billion investment to foster research in topics such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Another $10 billion would be authorized for the Commerce Department to establish at least 10 regional technology hubs for research and the advancement of key technologies.
The bill also aims to shore up U.S. supply chains for manufacturing and other initiatives, which were largely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A spokesperson for Lummis said they expect an edited version of her amendment to pass with weakened language that would prioritize funding for U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
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The bill was scheduled to be debated by the committee last month, but lawmakers delayed its consideration due to the large number of amendments that were filed for consideration. More than 200 amendments were proposed on to the legislation.
