Senator Flags China Ties in Program to Aid Defense Startups

Six of the top 25 award recipients under a pair of Pentagon programs to bolster small businesses have “troubling ties” to China, including a company whose leader also served on the board of a Chinese state-backed investment vehicle, a Senate investigation has concluded.

The findings from Senator Joni Ernst add fuel to her campaign to overhaul the programs, which have awarded more than $75 billion since the first one began in 1982.