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US must innovate faster to counter China’s tech rise, lawmakers told
Witnesses urge investment in AI, robotics and chips, warning US research cuts risk eroding America’s technological edge
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Mark Magnierin New YorkPublished: 6:37am, 1 Jul 2026
A US congressional hearing on Tuesday urged the United States to innovate faster, smarter and better to counter China’s growing technological muscle, even as several lawmakers slammed the US President Donald Trump administration for policies they said undercut US national interests.
The testimony before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce comes as the two economic giants increasingly and aggressively face off over standards, economic models and supply chains, despite last month’s summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at easing tensions.
“At this very moment, China has overtaken the United States in total R&D spending, while the administration has cancelled or frozen more than 7,800 research grants,” said Kathy Castor, a Democrat from Florida. “Even more concerning, our scientists are leaving our labs and increasingly out of the country.”
Lawmakers and witnesses called for passage of several key pieces of legislation aimed at addressing funding, support and guardrails for a range of technologies and supply chains from artificial intelligence and advanced robotics to quantum computing and semiconductors.
But passage of legislation is hardly a magic bullet if the US does not implement those laws and if it continues to undercut its own strengths, witnesses said.
Over 1,700 AI bills were introduced across America’s 50 states regulating AI, witnesses said, which can lead to a hodgepodge of inconsistent rules and incentives.
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