House China committee’s top Democrat queries NIST layoffs

The top Democrat on the House China select committee, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), is asking Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to explain reported layoffs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology as part of the Trump administration’s government downsizing, raising concerns it could undermine testing of artificial intelligence by the agency’s AI safety institute, Inside U.S. Trade reported.

Commerce Department “firings may severely reduce the staff focused on AI measurement and standard setting. The potential impact on NIST’s U.S....