House Republicans Probe Alleged Use of Chinese Machinery at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), speaks with reporters in Washington, on Jan. 8, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

House Republicans have requested information from the Department of Energy (DOE) about a top United States research facility allegedly using equipment linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its military.

Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), said in an Oct. 17 letter to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm that the committee has uncovered information suggesting that Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico is using equipment linked to a Chinese company called Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI).

Wenstrup said the committee is investigating how much Los Alamos relies on technology developed by BGI, a Chinese firm that the Pentagon has linked to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). He has requested all documents and communications “indicating the Department’s use of equipment, software, or any other product which were manufactured by or are linked to ‘Beijing Genomics Institute.’”

He also requested a briefing regarding the presence of a BGI machine at Los Alamos for no later than Oct. 31, 2024.

Wenstrup’s letter to Granholm expressed concern regarding the potential dangers to U.S. national security and biosecurity that could result from the operation of machinery manufactured by BGI at a sensitive facility. The subcommittee is particularly alarmed by the Chinese Communist Party’s endeavors to infiltrate American institutions and influence their operations.

“If there is in fact a BGI machine at Los Alamos, the U.S. Government’s most advanced scientific institution—one that is directly involved in investigating and protecting against biosecurity threats including COVID-19—may be putting American national security at risk by using machinery linked to the [Chinese Communist Party] and PLA,” Wenstrup said.

Wenstrup introduced the BIOSECURE Act earlier this year. Passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, it is currently pending in the Senate.

“This Act is designed to ensure that American patient data and taxpayer dollars do not fall into the hands of foreign adversaries’ biotechnology companies by prohibiting Federal contracting with these companies—including BGI,” Wenstrup said in a statement.

A 2022 report, published by strategic intelligence firm Strider Technologies, claims that the CCP conducted a systemic effort to recruit scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to work on its military programs. At least 162 Los Alamos researchers have been hired by the CCP over the last 35 years, according to the report.

The Epoch Times contacted the Department of Energy for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Andrew Thornebrooke contributed to this report.