Rubio: U.S. Tax Dollars Supporting Chinese Military Experiments, Introduces Counter-Bill

Florida GOP Senator Marco Rubio, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, revealed a disturbing truth: American taxpayers are funding thousands of Chinese experiments with direct applications to the Chinese military. In an article for The National Interest, Rubio detailed the alarming findings and announced his plans to introduce a bill to address this critical issue.

Rubio, along with Arkansas GOP Senator Tom Cotton, has been a vocal critic of Communist China. He highlighted a report showing that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) had allocated $30 million in artificial intelligence research grants to a Chinese scientist at the Beijing Institute of Technology, an institution known for developing next-generation weapons for the Chinese military.

Rubio presented new evidence from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), revealing that U.S. taxpayers funded these experiments. The NCIS found over 5,000 instances of research collaboration between the DoD’s funding agencies and Chinese entities from 2019 to 2024. These collaborations included:

• Eighty-one partnerships with China’s nuclear weapon research and development complex

• Hundreds of collaborations with China’s top defense industry-affiliated universities, known as the “Seven Sons of National Defense” and the “Seven Sons of Ordnance Industry”

• Seventeen partnerships with China’s National University of Defense Technology, the People’s Liberation Army’s premier scientific research institute

These experiments have focused on crucial areas such as facial recognition, stealth technology, underwater acoustics, explosives, semiconductors, cryptography, cybersecurity, and data mining. Rubio warned that this research, facilitated by the U.S. government, might have already given Beijing an edge in key areas of modern warfare.

To counter this threat, Rubio and Representative Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) plan to introduce the FORTIFY U.S. Research Act. This legislation aims to safeguard taxpayer-funded research and close loopholes that have allowed adversaries to exploit it. “Such legislation is what the American people require to begin restoring their faith in our institutions,” Rubio asserted. “The longer we wait to act, the more that faith will fade—and the more its fading will be justified.”

Rubio has a history of combating the influence of Communist China. In March 2023, he and Iowa GOP Senator Joni Ernst introduced the No Funds for Enablers of Adversarial Propaganda Act to deny federal funds to any individual or entity associated with TikTok. In August 2023, he called for banning TikTok entirely.

Last month, Rubio introduced the “Confronting CCP Malign Influence Act of 2024,” which would require the Director of National Intelligence to report on the wealth and corrupt activities of the Chinese Communist Party leadership. Rubio emphasized the need for Americans to understand the threats posed by a Beijing-led world order, citing increased efforts by China to displace the U.S. as the world’s leading power through economic, social, and military coercion.

As Rubio continues his efforts to expose and counteract China’s malign influence, it is crucial for American citizens to stay informed and support measures that protect national security and sovereignty.

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