WASHINGTON, June 11 The US presidential administration opposed the inclusion of Congress amendments to the draft defense budget for 2025 banning citizens of the Russian Federation and China from visiting nuclear facilities and laboratories, according to a document published by the White House Budget Office on Tuesday.
«The Administration objects to Section 3111, which prohibits citizens of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation from visiting national security laboratories or nuclear weapons production facilities,» the document says. “Such a ban, the administration believes, “will significantly limit our ability to interact with Chinese and Russian experts in the field of non-proliferation of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons.” “The current visitor screening process in place at nuclear weapons laboratories and facilities is designed to address the need to screen for threats from visitors and protect classified information,” the White House document states.
In addition, the administration objects to a number of defense budget items that contain «unnecessary restrictions on research and impose burdensome restrictions on personnel» conducting national security research projects. The text of the document states that such restrictions will harm the Pentagon's ability to attract specialists from abroad, which is “critical to maintaining technological superiority over its closest competitors,” the document says.
The White House expressed its readiness to continue interaction with Congress to develop a mutually acceptable budget for the coming fiscal year.