The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) violated a prohibition imposed by Congress outlawing the use of federal funds for bilateral activities with the government of the People’s Republic of China.
The prohibition appears in the federal budget passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in April. The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act prohibits OSTP and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from engaging in bilateral activities with China, stating:
None of the funds made available by this division may be used for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or the Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement, or execute a bilateral policy, program, order, or contract of any kind to participate, collaborate, or coordinate bilaterally in any way with China or any Chinese-owned company unless such activities are specifically authorized by a law enacted after the date of enactment of this division.
After the prohibition had been enactment, the OSTP participated in a series of meetings with Chinese officials as part of the U.S.-China Dialogue on Innovation Policy and the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue held in Washington, D.C. The GAO investigated whether the OSTP’s use of its appropriation to participate in these meetings violated the prohibition.
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