one of the top US government Scientific Research Laboratories is taking steps that could alienate foreign scientists, a change lawmakers and sources say could cost WIRED the country valuable expertise and damage the agency’s credibility.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) helps set the framework underpinning everything from cybersecurity to semiconductor manufacturing. Some of NIST’s recent work includes establishing guidelines Securing AI Systems and identifying health concerns with air purifiers and firefighting gloves. Many of the agency’s thousands of employees, postdoctoral scientists, contractors, and guest researchers are brought in from around the world for their specialized expertise.
“For weeks now, rumors of drastic new measures have been spreading like wildfire, while inquiries from my staff at NIST have gone unanswered,” said Zoe Lofgren, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. wrote in a letter Acting NIST Director Craig Burkhart was sent on Thursday. April McClain Delaney, a fellow Democrat on the committee, signed the message.
Lofgren wrote that while her staff has heard about several rumored changes, what she has confirmed through unnamed sources is that the Trump administration “has begun taking steps to limit the ability of foreign-born researchers to do their work at NIST.”
The Congress letter is as follows: Boulder Reporting Lab article It was said on February 12 that international graduate students and postdoctoral researchers would be limited to a maximum of three years at NIST going forward, although many of them would need five to seven years to complete their work.
A NIST staffer told WIRED that some plans to bring foreign workers through the agency’s Occupational Research and Experience Program have recently been canceled because of uncertainty about whether they will make it through the new safety protocols. The staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, say the agency has not yet communicated widely about what the new constraints will be or why it believes they are appropriate.
Thursday’s Colorado Sun informed “Non-citizens” had access to the NIST lab cut off last month and may soon be banned from the facility altogether.
NIST spokesperson Jennifer Huergo told WIRED that the proposed changes are intended to protect American science from theft and abuse, echoing a similar statement issued to other media outlets this week. Huergo declined to comment on what approval would be required for the proposal to be finalized and when a decision would be made. He also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawmakers’ letter.
Preventing foreign adversaries from stealing valuable American intellectual property has been a bipartisan priority, with NIST among the agencies acquiesced in recent years. Congress investigation About the adequacy of its background checks and security policies. Just last month, Republican lawmakers renew call Imposing sanctions to prevent Chinese citizens from working in or with national laboratories operated by the Department of Energy.
But Lofgren’s letter argues that the rumored restrictions on non-U.S. scientists at NIST go beyond what is “just and appropriate to protect research security.” The letter calls for transparency about the new policies and a moratorium on them until February 26 “until Congress can consider whether these changes are absolutely necessary.”
The potential loss of research talent at NIST would join a series of other Trump administration policies that some US tech industry leaders warn will destroy the lives of immigrant researchers already living in the US and hinder economic growth. hiking fee ongoing H-1B Technical VisaCanceling and applying thousands of student visas Mass deportation of legally suspected suspects All stand to inspire people wanting to work on science and technology research in America to go elsewhere. Trump administration has also announced plan to limit Postgraduate job training for international students.
Pat Gallagher, who served as director of NIST from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama, says the changes could undermine confidence in the agency, which has long provided the technological foundation on which industry and governments around the world rely. “What makes NIST special is that it is scientifically credible,” he told WIRED. “Industry, universities and the global measurement community knew they could work with NIST.”
Like much of the federal government, NIST has been in turmoil for much of the past year. Parts of it remained inactive for months DOGE cut rumors Spread. Ultimately, the agency lost thousands of its employees due to budget cuts, leading to further funding pressures.
Until a few years ago, NIST welcomed 800 researchers On average, people come from outside the US every year to work in its offices and collaborate directly with the staff.
Lofgren expressed fear that the rumors could be enough to intimidate researchers and weaken American competitiveness in critical research. “Our scientific excellence depends on attracting the best and brightest from around the world,” he wrote in the letter.
This story originally appeared on Wired.com.
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