SHOULD THE WOLF AMENDMENT BE REPEALED? (SPI/Aerospace), Nov 13, 2025, DC/virtual, 9:00-11:00 am ET

Update, November 11:  The list of participants and other information is on the SPI website, which says:

Come join SPI and The Aerospace Corporation on whether the Wolf Amendment should be repealed. Hear from:

Dean Cheng, nonresident Senior Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

Dan Hart, nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and President of HarTechnologies

The panel will be moderated by Brian Weeden, Director of Civil and Commercial Policy, the Aerospace Corporation Center for Space Policy and Strategy.

With remarks from Space Policy Institute Director Scott Pace and Professor of Practice of International Affairs Robert Sutter.

Original Entry: George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute and the Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy & Strategy will debate “Should the Wolf Amendment Be Repealed?” on November 13, 2025 from 9:00-11:00 am ET at GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs, 1957 E St., NW, Washington, DC.

More information is on the event’s website, although the list of speakers was not posted as of November 1. A virtual option is available for registered participants.

An emailed invitation says the event “will examine the evolution of the U.S.-China relationship and debate whether the Wolf Amendment is still useful or a hindrance in the U.S.-China space relationship.”

The Wolf Amendment, named for its author, former Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), requires NASA, the National Space Council, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy to obtain advance approval from Congress and the FBI before entering into bilateral space cooperation with China. Multilateral cooperation is not affected.  Wolf chaired the House Appropriations Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) subcommittee that funds NASA, NSpC and OSTP and the provision has been included in every CJS bill since he first introduced it in 2011. Whether it should be repealed is often debated outside of Congress, but the provision historically has strong bipartisan congressional support.  It doesn’t prohibit cooperation with China, but requires advance certification that whatever is being proposed doesn’t pose any risk of technology transfer or involve interactions with officials who violate human rights.