Congress introduces legislation restricting foreign access to U.S. national labs

Congress is considering new legislation, the GATE Act, which would restrict access to all 17 national laboratories run by the Department of Energy. The bill would bar nationals from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba from entering these facilities unless they receive expressed clearance from the Department of Energy and the FBI. The legislation also requires federal authorities to inform Congress within 30 days whenever a waiver is issued allowing a foreigner from one of the covered nations to enter a national laboratory.

The legislation is an effort by lawmakers to prevent adversarial nations from stealing sensitive U.S. technology and research from national labs. Reports indicate that approximately 40,000 foreign citizens accessed national labs in fiscal year 2023, including more than 8,000 from China and Russia.