Alexander Statement on Finance Committee Foreign Influence Hearing

NASHVILLE, June 5, 2019 — Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released the following statement on today’s Senate Finance Committee hearing on foreign influence in scientific research:

“It is hard to think of a major scientific advancement since World War II that has not been supported by federal research funding. Scientists from other countries have played an important role in research funded by the United States government—since 2000, 33 Americans who were born in other countries have won Nobel prizes in chemistry, medicine and physics. Unfortunately, attempts by foreign governments to influence our federally funded research and steal intellectual property from the United States threatens the integrity of scientific research.

“The Senate Health Committee held a hearing last year with Dr. Francis Collins, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, that examined this issue, and the Senate Finance Committee is also conducting important oversight. I’m working with my colleagues in the health committee on legislation to protect the integrity of federally funded research and hope to recommend a bill to the Senate later this year.”

Background:

The Senate Health Committee held a hearing in August 2018 titled “Prioritizing Cures: Science and Stewardship at the National Institutes of Health,” which examined the issue of bad actors attempting to influence NIH-funded research, and what Congress should do to help address this problem.

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