Washington — A bipartisan House panel examined legislative proposals aimed at strengthening U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence, robotics, semiconductors and other critical technologies as lawmakers warned of growing competition from China.
During a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing, Republicans called for faster deployment of emerging technologies, stronger domestic manufacturing and greater protection of critical supply chains. Democrats agreed that maintaining U.S. technological leadership is essential but argued that reductions in federal research funding could weaken the country’s long-term competitiveness.
Subcommittee Chairman Gus Bilirakis said leadership in emerging technologies would shape the nation’s economy and security.
“Leadership in these fields will determine not only our economic competitiveness, but also our ability to safeguard our national security and maintain our strategic advantage over our adversaries,” he said.
“We can’t let them do that. We must respond by fostering innovation here at home, supporting research and development, and creating an environment where American companies can continue to compete and succeed.”
Republicans highlighted proposed legislation covering robotics, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, quantum technologies and memory chips, arguing that the United States must accelerate innovation to stay ahead of geopolitical rivals.
Rep. Jay Obernolte said the United States “cannot allow our adversaries, such as China, to overtake our position through aggressive, state-driven industrial strategies.”
He said the hearing was intended to evaluate policies needed to “position America’s technological leadership and global competitiveness.”
Democrats, however, argued that the Trump administration’s reductions in federal research spending undermine those goals.
Rep. Kathy Castor said, “China has overtaken the United States in total R&D spending, while the administration has cancelled or frozen more than 7,800 research grants.”
“We can pass every bill on this list, but if we keep starving our labs, then we are just naming technologies for China to implement,” she said.
Rep. Frank Pallone raised similar concerns, saying the administration had “illegally frozen more than 7,800 federal research grants” while China pursued “an integrated industrial strategy.” He said research cuts could cost the U.S. economy as much as “$1 trillion in GDP.”
Industry witnesses also warned that China is rapidly expanding its technological capabilities.
Jason Fiorillo, chief legal officer at Boston Dynamics, said China has “more than 140 humanoid robot manufacturers” supported by state-backed programs.
“The physical AI race is well underway, with strategic implications for US manufacturing, energy, public safety, and national security,” he said.
“It is time for a national robotics strategy,” Fiorillo added, urging Congress to approve the proposed National Commission on Robotics Act.
Neil Chilson, head of AI policy at the Abundance Institute, said China is emerging as the global leader in open-source artificial intelligence.
“China is giving its AI technology away; it’s releasing open-weight AI models that are cheap, capable, and they’re fast becoming the world’s default,” he said.
Chilson said U.S.-built open models “are a vital source of competition, innovation and even security” and supported legislation intended to strengthen American leadership in the field.
Jedidah Isler, chief science officer at the Federation of American Scientists, said technological leadership depends on sustained investment in scientific research and talent.
“The United States cannot lead in the technology of the future while neglecting the scientific enterprise, and most critically, the people that produce them,” she said.
Isler described technological leadership as “not a subscription service that renews automatically” but “more like a garden that must be cultivated over time.”
The panel considered bills addressing robotics, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, biotechnology, connected vehicles, memory chips and semiconductor supply chains. Several measures drew bipartisan support, although lawmakers remained divided over research funding, environmental regulation and government oversight.
The hearing came as Washington intensifies efforts to reduce its dependence on Chinese technology and strengthen domestic supply chains for strategic industries. Countering China’s technological rise has become an area of broad bipartisan agreement in Congress. (Source: IANS)
