Trump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With

ProPublicaCenter-LeftEN 6 min read 100% complete by Lisa SongJanuary 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM

AI Summary

long article 6 min

The Trump administration has directed USDA employees to investigate foreign scientists collaborating with the agency on research papers. USDA workers are instructed to use Google to check the backgrounds of foreign collaborators for potential "subversive or criminal activity," with flagged names sent to national security experts. This directive applies to pending scientific publications co-authored by employees in the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. The USDA has instructed employees to stop agency researchers from collaborating on or publishing papers with scientists from "countries of concern," including China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela, and is also vetting scientists from other nations. Some USDA employees expressed discomfort with the directive, fearing it could endanger foreign scientists, particularly students and postdocs on temporary visas.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Venezuela 50% Cuba 50% Russia 50% North Korea 50% Iran 50% Agricultural Research Service 60% China 60% Union of Concerned Scientists ×270% ProPublica ×470% Jennifer Jones ×375% Trump administration 90% United States Department of Agriculture ×695%

Keywords

foreign researchers 90% usda 80% scientific collaboration 80% research scrutiny 70% scientific publications 60% national security 60% mccarthyism 50% countries of concern 50% trump administration 40%