Moolenaar, Colleagues Condemn STA Extension

WASHINGTON DC — Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) alongside his colleagues, today sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemning the Biden Administration's announcement of a five-year extension of the U.S.-People’s Republic of China (PRC) Science and Technology Agreement (STA). 

Following repeated congressional requests to suspend the STA or impose guardrails for the protection of human rights and US intellectual property, the lawmakers write, "a renewal of the STA in the final days of the administration is a clear attempt to tie the hands of the incoming administration and deny them the opportunity to either leave the agreement or negotiate a better deal for the American people... We urge you to immediately suspend efforts to renew the U.S.-PRC STA prior to January 20, 2025. If the Biden Administration is confident their new agreement with the PRC will adequately protect U.S. national security, then they should have no problem making the case for renewal to the incoming administration."

What's more, earlier this fall, the House overwhelmingly passed Representative Andy Barr’s “Science and Technology Agreement Enhanced Congressional Notification Act” which would have, among other things, required notification of any renewal at least 15 days in advance of any agreement and mandated any renewal of the STA contain explicit protections for human rights and restrictions on dual-use research. While not yet law, the Biden Administration’s decision to ignore Congress’s articulated guardrails is alarming.

Click HERE to view the letter or read the text below.

It is our understanding that as early as December 13, 2024, the Biden Administration will announce a five-year extension of the U.S.-People’s Republic of China (PRC) Science and Technology Agreement (STA). This comes after Congress has repeatedly urged the Administration to suspend the STA or, at minimum, impose additional guardrails for protection of human rights and U.S. intellectual property. However, it seems the Biden Administration is prepared to do neither.

Earlier this fall, the House overwhelmingly passed Representative Andy Barr’s “Science and Technology Agreement Enhanced Congressional Notification Act” which would have, among other things, required notification of any renewal at least 15 days in advance of any agreement and mandated any renewal of the STA contain explicit protections for human rights and restrictions on dual-use research. While not yet law, the Biden Administration’s decision to ignore Congress’s articulated guardrails is alarming.

Furthermore, a renewal of the STA in the final days of the administration is a clear attempt to tie the hands of the incoming administration and deny them the opportunity to either leave the agreement or negotiate a better deal for the American people.

We urge you to immediately suspend efforts to renew the U.S.-PRC STA prior to January 20, 2025. If the Biden Administration is confident their new agreement with the PRC will adequately protect U.S. national security, then they should have no problem making the case for renewal to the incoming administration.