China and U.S. Research Security

At a March 26, 2026 House hearing, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., sharply questioned University of Michigan interim president Domenico Grasso over why the school has not conducted a formal audit of potential research or intellectual‑property compromise after five Chinese students were accused of spying at Michigan’s Camp Grayling military installation. Stefanik noted Michigan had ended its partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University under congressional pressure after the students were caught at night taking illegal photos of U.S. military drills and equipment, allegedly lying to law enforcement and using WeChat to coordinate wiping their devices. Grasso replied that the students were undergraduates, not researchers, that the activity occurred "miles and miles away from campus," and that the university is "unaware of any research that was compromised" and therefore did not conduct an audit. Under further questioning, he acknowledged he does not know all the details of university research but said Michigan has tightened background checks and needs closer partnerships with federal intelligence agencies to vet foreign students before they receive visas. The exchange underscores growing tension between lawmakers and research universities over how aggressively to police foreign influence and espionage risks in U.S. academia, particularly involving Chinese nationals and sensitive defense‑related work.