The Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) celebrates the removal of the proposed SAFE Research Act from the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This legislative win follows concerted advocacy efforts, including a letter sent on October 17, 2025, from AASF to educate the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, as well as an October 29, 2025, letter led by AASF fellows and signed by more than 750 scholars and researchers that was supported by AASF.
The AASF letter spotlighted the risks of overly broad and misguided measures in this provision that would chill collaboration, unfairly impact researchers, and undermine America’s competitive edge in science and technology. The faculty letter led by AASF Fellows Professor Peter F. Michelson, Luke Blossom Professor in the School of Humanities & Sciences, Professor of Physics at Stanford University, and Professor Steven A. Kivelson, Prabhu Goel Family Professor at Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics, echoed these points. The faculty letter emphasized that U.S. scientific leadership depends on openness, fairness, and attracting global talent—not on isolating it. This letter included faculty members and researchers from at least 210 U.S. universities and academic institutions in 41 states and the District of Columbia. The list of supporters also includes several Nobel laureates as well as many members of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
“This decision is a major affirmation that when we come together, we can make a difference. We thank our AASF fellows, members, and faculty from across the country who went outside their classrooms into the halls of Congress to educate on American research and innovation for the benefit of all Americans,” said Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director of the Asian American Scholar Forum. “Our scientific leaders and researchers know more than anyone that our country benefits when we attract and retain top global talent. American competitiveness and innovation depend on smart legislation and policies that enable the continued vitality of the U.S. research ecosystem, rather than undermining it.
We thank Congress for listening, and we salute the more than 750 scholars and scientists nationwide who raised their voices, including our esteemed Nobel laureates and many members of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. We also give special thanks to the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and CAPAC Chair Representative Grace Meng for their critical leadership in opposing this provision, as well as CAPAC Chair Emerita Representative Judy Chu for her decade-plus work on these issues.”
A Science article from November 6, 2025, echoed AASF’s concerns about the bill:
“The lack of a clear definition of ‘affiliation’ in the SAFE Act could trigger arbitrary and biased enforcement of the funding ban, warns the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) in a similar letter. It cites the ‘chilling effect’ of the China Initiative… which led to the targeting of hundreds of U.S. scientists of Chinese descent.”
AASF looks forward to working with legislators, institutions, and the research community to move forward with policies that promote integral fundamental values of transparency, due process, and fairness, and in doing so also strengthen America’s role as a global leader in research and innovation.
For more information, contact media@aasforum.org.
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Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) is a national nonprofit that promotes belonging, freedom, and equality for all. In response to heightened anti-Asian sentiments and profiling in the U.S., AASF has been a leading national voice fighting for the rights of Asian American and immigrant scientists, researchers, and scholars. AASF membership includes members from the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Science, and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, in addition to past and current university presidents, provosts, vice provosts, deans, associate deans, and past and current department chairs.