AASF Educated Policymakers on the Importance of Supporting the Talent Pipeline and American Values for Long-term Security in America
WASHINGTON, D.C – April 2, 2026 – Today, Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17), Ranking Member of House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, and Rep. Grace Meng (NY-6), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), sent a letter to National Science Foundation (NSF) Interim Director Brian Stone. According to the press release from Representative Ro Khanna and Representative Grace Meng, the letter “encourag[es] the NSF to continue work to protect American scientific endeavors and highlights the work of the Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem (SECURE) Program.”
The Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) has been steadfastly educating policymakers on approaches to research security that balance security priorities with support for the research workforce that has been essential to American competitiveness. AASF Executive Director Gisela P. Kusakawa has worked for years with CAPAC to advance the civil rights of Asian Americans, and recently met with Congressman Khanna to share AASF expertise and resources in the U.S. Capitol.
AASF Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa released the following statement:
“We are grateful to Representative Khanna and CAPAC Chair Meng for their leadership in championing data-driven, evidence based approaches to research security. This letter marks an important step towards more comprehensive policies that support a thriving and welcoming research ecosystem. Data based approaches are integral in preventing chilling effects on the Asian American and broader research community.
For far too long, our country has been fed with a false dichotomy, that our national security must come at the expense of our American values. The reality is that our security depends on keeping alive the American dream, that we are a shining beacon of democracy, freedom, and justice. Our country has been attracting the best and brightest talents around the world and at home precisely because of that American dream, that promise for a better life, one where we are free to pursue our life pursuits and happiness.
Our ability to attract and retain talents is what has laid the foundation of U.S. scientific and technological leadership. This includes our Asian American research community that have made tremendous contributions to improving the lives of all Americans from lifesaving medicine to enabling the technology that allows you to connect with loved ones from miles away. Protecting our national security and our research enterprise requires this talent pipeline, which we can only nourish through policies that uphold principles of fairness, non-discrimination, and due process.
We must hold on to our promise both for our American interests and the values that make us great as a country. AASF will continue to do its civic duty to keep to that American promise and work towards a more prosperous and welcoming country.“
AASF works with policymakers to ensure that research security efforts are effective, fair, and supported by data. We remain committed to engaging with Congress and federal agencies to advance policies that support the research community and uphold civil rights for all Americans.
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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.