Last month Rep Fong (R,CA) introduced HR 477, the Making Advancements in Commercial Hypersonics (MACH) Act. This bill would authorize NASA to establish the Making Advancements in Commercial Hypersonics Program. That program would facilitate opportunities for testing of high-speed aircraft and other technologies that advance scientific research and technology development related to hypersonic aircraft. No new funding is authorized by this legislation.
Moving Forward
Fong and one of his two cosponsors {Rep Whitesides (D,CA)} are members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee to which this bill is assigned for consideration. This means that there may be sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee. I suspect that (especially since there is no new funding involved) there would be sufficient bipartisan support to see this bill considered favorably in Committee. I am not sure, however, that there would be enough support to move the bill to the floor of the House under the suspension of the rules process (limited debate, no floor amendments, and a super majority required for passage). That is the only way it could move to the full House.
Commentary
I would be very surprised, given the anti-Chinese sentiment in the 119th Congress, if the language in §2(f) were not changed to specifically prohibit Chinese involvement in this program. The simplest change would be:
“(f) Research
security.— Nothing in this section authorizes the Administrator to The Administer may not develop,
implement, or execute an agreement related to technologies under this section
with any entity of concern, a foreign business entity, or a foreign country of
concern.
For more information on the provisions of this bill, see my
article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-477-introduced
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