AAU joined ACE and four other higher education organizations in sending a letter to Senate leadership expressing their concern and opposition to an amendment filed by Senator Rubio to S. 1260 the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act of 2021. The amendment would require three separate federal security agencies - the Director of National Intelligence, the Director of National Counterintelligence and Security Center, and the Director of the FBI - to certify if a person receiving funding under this act "has sufficient protections in place to protect against misappropriation of U.S. intellectual property, research and development, and innovation efforts, and other threats from foreign governments and entities." AAU, ACE and others oppose the amendment since universities already have structures in place to protect research, the requirements of the amendment work against the objectives of the bill, and there is little clarity in understanding what this amendment is trying to address.