GOP lawmakers push for DHS innovation arm to secure sensitive data

Rep. Dale Strong, R-Ala., participates in the House Republicans' news conference on on the EPA rule on EV production in the Capitol on Wednesday, December 6, 2023. Strong led the introduction of legislation Jan. 31 that would require DHS S&T to better protect sensitive data. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate would be required to develop a process for safeguarding the information in its research and development projects.
House Republicans have proposed a measure that would push the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate to better safeguard its sensitive research data from unauthorized access by foreign adversaries.
The legislation was introduced Friday by Rep. Dale Strong, R-Ala., and is co-sponsored by Reps. Mark Green, R-Tenn. — chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee — and Gabe Evans, R-Colo.
In a press release, Strong’s office said the bill would require that DHS S&T “develop a process to safeguard sensitive information in research and development projects to limit unauthorized access to, and disclosure of, sensitive information.”
S&T develops, tests and deploys new capabilities to help agencies across DHS carry out their missions.
Strong’s bill would also require that the Government Accountability Office provide a report to Congress on DHS “compliance with government-wide policies to protect research and development,” as well as brief the House and Senate Homeland Security committees on how it has responded to a 2022 Office of the Inspector General report that said DHS S&T did not adequately protect sensitive information.
That report, in part, blamed the technology innovation arm’s noncompliance on “insufficient oversight and guidance to ensure necessary steps were completed for each project” and its lack of “a centralized approach to manage and monitor project execution.”
The introduction of Strong’s bill comes as federal officials continue to warn about the scope of China’s data theft operations, which have included targeting and pilfering both U.S. government and private sector intellectual property. And it also follows the sudden emergence of Chinese startup DeepSeek's generative AI model that rivals the capabilities of those provided by U.S. competitors like OpenAI at a much cheaper cost.
“Chinese espionage is one of our country’s greatest threats,” Strong said in a statement about his legislation. “Protecting our innovations is critical to national security, and this legislation takes an important step in ensuring the integrity of DHS research.”
Microsoft, an investor and close partner of OpenAI, said it is investigating whether DeepSeek gained unauthorized access to the company’s data.
Members of the Trump administration have also echoed claims that the Chinese startup obtained critical data from OpenAI, with AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks telling Fox News last week that “there’s substantial evidence that what DeepSeek did here is they distilled the knowledge out of OpenAI’s models.”