Ernst on Standing Up to Beijing, Putting Warfighters First

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) about the urgent need to reform the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs to stand up to China and deliver for our warfighters.

Ernst detailed how her INNOVATE Act creates a standard foreign due diligence assessment to safeguard vital technology from China, eliminates waste, and rewards the best and brightest entrepreneurs developing cutting-edge technology.

"The public-private partnership structure has seen some success, but in its current state, the program has lost its way and is benefiting China at the expense of our warfighters-making reform both urgent and essential," said Ernst. "My INNOVATE Act would put a stop to this egregious misuse of taxpayer funds by establishing clear, consistent standards for federal agencies and empowering them to recover taxpayer dollars when our national security is threatened. We can't keep allowing the effectiveness of the SBIR program to be limited."

Watch Senator Ernst's remarks here.

Background:

The INNOVATE Act has earned sweeping praise from small businesses across the country, and the Pentagon agreed this week with Ernst's effort to safeguard American innovation from China and other foreign adversaries.

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