Bill stops spy money to labs that let foreign people in.

What it does

The bill says spy groups cannot pay for research at Department of Energy National Labs. Those labs cannot let people from certain countries visit or see the building or data. Spy group leaders can say the work is safe from foreign spies. They send a paper to Congress. Then they can allow the work anyway. The bill does not say which countries count as risky. That list comes from a different law.

Who it affects

National Labs must choose between taking spy group money and letting foreign people in. Scientists who work with people from other countries may find research harder. Spy group leaders would have power to allow the work anyway.

One thing to notice

The bill does not define what seeing the building or data means. A visiting scientist, a remote helper, or a foreign person at a talk could trigger the ban.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

• Jul 13, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jul 13, 2026 — Referred to House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Words to know

• spy groups — U.S. government groups that gather and study secret facts about threats.
• National Labs — Big research centers run by the Department of Energy where scientists work.
• certain countries — Nations that the government says may try to steal U.S. secrets.