China Has Outspent The U.S. On Research For The First Time. 3,375 American Scientists Are Telling Congress To Pay Attention

InnovationScienceChina Has Outspent The U.S. On Research For The First Time. 3,375 American Scientists Are Telling Congress To Pay AttentionByJohn Drake,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. John Drake is a professor at the University of Georgia. Follow AuthorMay 20, 2026, 06:00am EDTCAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - APRIL 01: NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The 10-day mission illustrates American dominance in science and technology. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)Getty ImagesIn 2024, China outspent the United States on research and development for the first time, $1.03 trillion to $1.01 trillion. The figure comes from Indicators 2026, the biennial assessment of American scientific competitiveness released by the National Science Board.This week, National Academy of Sciences member and Professor Walter Leal of UC Davis, the lead author of an April letter to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, informed 3,375 signatories that their letter had been entered into the official record as Outside Witness Testimony at both subcommittees that fund federal research. The letter warns that the proposed FY27 cuts to federal research agencies would “risk the loss of a generation of scientific talent.” Its signers include 48 Nobel laureates, 30 recipients of the National Medal of Science and more than 1,500 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.The House Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee marks up NIH funding on June 5. The Senate is still in hearings.What Has Changed Since AugustLeal and his colleagues sent their first letter to the Senate last August. It drew roughly 2,000 signatures and warned that proposed cuts to research agencies “would have irreparable consequences for our economy, public health, national security and innovation.” The new l...