Bill bans scientists from five countries at U.S. research labs
H.R. 10092 — GATE Act of 2026 · Filed by Pat Harrigan (R-NC) · 5 cosponsors · Introduced Aug 13, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
The bill stops U.S. National Laboratories from hiring visitors or researchers from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba. The ban starts right away when the law passes. The Secretary of Energy can make exceptions only if benefits are worth the risks. Each exception needs written proof. Congress must be told 30 days before it happens.
Who it affects
Scientists from those five countries cannot work at U.S. National Laboratories. Research in energy and materials science may slow down. Fewer international scientists can help with the work.
One thing to notice
The bill does not say what counts as a benefit or what economic risks matter. This gives the Secretary of Energy a lot of power to decide which exceptions to allow.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
5 cosponsors: 5 Republicans.
- Aug 13, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Aug 13, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- National Laboratories — U.S. government research centers where scientists work on energy and materials
- Secretary of Energy — The government official in charge of the U.S. Department of Energy
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (3,894 characters) on Aug 21, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,707 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-23.
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