Select Committee Supports NSF Reforms to Protect U.S. Supercomputing

The Select Committee on China supports the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) swift and decisive action to strengthen safeguards for the Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support (ACCESS) program that provides researchers with supercomputing resources and data services. After engagement with the Select Committee, NSF identified a number of ineligible users within the ACCESS system and immediately terminated those accounts, reinforcing the integrity of U.S. taxpayer-funded research infrastructure. 

“NSF’s actions demonstrate that strong oversight works. By quickly identifying vulnerabilities and implementing meaningful reforms, NSF has taken important steps to ensure that our nation’s supercomputers and cutting-edge research infrastructure is not exploited by our adversaries. I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress and the Trump Administration to safeguard taxpayer-funded innovation and protect our national security,” said Select Committee Chairman John Moolenaar.

The agency has since implemented a series of enhanced security measures, including stricter disclosure requirements for international collaborators, mandatory certifications that collaborators are not affiliated with restricted entities, and strengthened verification protocols across participating academic institutions. NSF will also conduct regular, six-month compliance reviews of international users and their affiliations, marking a significant step forward in protecting sensitive taxpayer-funded research.

Chairman Moolenaar’s initial oversight letter to NSF, raising concerns about potential exploitation of U.S. research infrastructure by entities tied to China, can be found here.