RM Markey: “President Trump is killing American innovation and China is reaping the benefits.”
(Washington, July 25) - Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) this week slammed the Trump administration’s devastating cuts to government agencies and research institutions, which are crushing American innovation, at a Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee hearing titled “Innovation in the Crosshairs: Countering China’s Industrial Espionage.”
“The biggest threat to our innovation ecosystem, both in Massachusetts and across the country, is not coming from abroad—it is coming directly from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” said Ranking Member Markey. “We all agree on the importance of research security and protecting our technology from China’s espionage. There is no doubt that American technology needs to be protected from foreign adversaries. But right now, President Trump is taking America’s crown jewel and handing it to China on a silver platter. President Trump is killing American innovation and China is reaping the benefits.”
During the hearing, Ranking Member Markey heard from Dr. Sujai Shivakumar, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), who emphasized the important role small businesses, universities, and government agencies play in fostering a strong innovation ecosystem that promotes investments in domestic research and development, including through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs.
“U.S. innovation—and, by extension, our competitiveness and national security—depends on sustained, substantial support to our federal R&D agencies and research institutions and our ability to convert the results of this research into products that meet the needs of the American people,” said Dr. Shivakumar. “When promising technologies aren’t developed or can’t reach scale because commercialization tools are underfunded, others will seize the opportunity.”
For over 40 years, the SBIR/STTR programs have delivered more than $70 billion in research and development (R&D) funding to over 30,000 small businesses nationwide, ushering in technological breakthroughs that have benefited everyday Americans and strengthened national security. Ranking Member Markey and House Committee on Small Business Ranking Member Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) recently introduced the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025 in the Senate and the House, which would make permanent and expand the SBIR/STTR programs. The legislation includes an extension of the existing robust due diligence program until 2030, ensuring that the SBIR/STTR programs will remain secure from the influence of foreign adversaries. The SBIR/STTR programs are set to expire on September 30 of this year if they are not reauthorized by Congress.
