House Committee Presses China Policy, Rare Earths, Research Risks

The House Select Committee on China released a flurry of actions this week reflecting a broad push on research security, supply chains, and financial controls. Chairman John Moolenaar unveiled an investigation that attributes Biden-era visa enforcement gaps to instances where U.S. funding supported Ph.D. education for Chinese nationals, some reportedly connected to the People's Liberation Army and Chinese defense research universities. The finding highlights emerging intersections between graduate training, technology transfer risk, and national security. Moolenaar also urged President Trump to coordinate with allies and use the aviation sector to respond to Beijing’s rare-earth export restrictions. Committee officials emphasized that rare-earth elements and high-performance magnets are critical to defense systems and advanced manufacturing, and called for allied diversification and industrial policy to reduce strategic supply-chain dependence. Other committee activity included a planned roundtable on Hong Kong’s role in money laundering and sanctions evasion, bipartisan oversight letters to technology firms such as Futurewei, meetings with Indian and Dutch ambassadors on trade and manufacturing shifts, and a report flagging university partnerships that may threaten security. The chairman supported the NDAA measures, including a military pay increase, as part of broader deterrence efforts.