Over a dozen Democratic lawmakers are urging congressional leaders to block the potential revival of the China Initiative, a controversial program from the Trump era that faced allegations of racial profiling against Asian scientists in the United States.
In a letter initially shared with NBC News on Monday, the group of legislators called on House and Senate leadership to eliminate language inserted by GOP lawmakers related to a crucial House spending bill, which insisted on the reactivation of the China Initiative. This initiative, designed to prevent China from stealing scientific and technological secrets, expired in 2022 due to significant concerns within the academic community regarding discrimination and the targeting of Asian-descent scientists.
The Democratic lawmakers expressed concern about the language used in explanatory materials accompanying the bill, H.R. 5893. These materials, elucidating the legislation’s rationale, deemed the previous decision to terminate the initiative as “deeply irresponsible.” Republicans on the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, responsible for the materials, also urged the National Security Division of the Justice Department to re-establish an office with a similar mission. In another section, they described the end of the program as “unwise.”
The explanatory materials asserted, “This decision is an example of weakness from a Justice Department more concerned with being politically correct than protecting Americans, and stands in stark contrast to the actions of other Federal agencies that have taken steps in recognition of the extraordinary long-term threat China poses to the United States.”
The lawmakers, led by Rep. Grace Meng, Rep. Judy Chu, and Sen. Mazie Hirono, emphasized in their letter that restarting the China Initiative would misallocate resources and represent a regression for civil rights. Rep. Meng cautioned that reviving the initiative could once again place Asian Americans at risk, highlighting the past negative impact on the community.
The lawmakers objected to the characterization of the China Initiative in the explanatory materials, urging the removal of language advocating for the program’s restart. They argued that the initiative had serious consequences for the Asian American community and lacked transparency from the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The letter stated, “This prosecutorial initiative was a blunt instrument wielded against anyone who had ‘some nexus to China.’ An unacceptably high number of the aforementioned cases ended in dropped charges, dismissals, and acquittals because prosecutors could not prove allegations.”
Under the Trump-era initiative, several Asian American academics and scientists faced false accusations of spying. Hydrologist Sherry Chen, wrongfully prosecuted in 2014, was awarded over $1.5 million in damages. MIT professor Gang Chen, facing charges under the initiative, had his case dismissed in January 2022 but withdrew from federally funded research due to concerns about racial profiling.
