In the DOGE era, there’s a time to cut, and there’s a time to invest. Programs that promote American security must be preserved, while programs that fail Americans must be eliminated.

Thankfully, the Trump administration understands the balancing act that must take place—an understanding that’s reflected in its recent proposal to increase the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) budget by $122 million.

BIS plays a vital role in keeping the U.S. ahead of China in the high-stakes AI race. The bureau uses export controls to determine who can access the world’s most cutting-edge technologies (like advanced AI chips)—meaning its work directly affects national security.

The Trump administration’s proposed funding increase represents one of the most cost-effective national security investments America could make.

In FY2023, BIS processed export license applications valued at $220.5 billion, over 1,000 times its budget of $191 million. Every dollar invested in BIS protects countless dollars in intellectual property, competitive advantage and future innovation.

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While BIS’ return on investment is staggering, the agency remains critically understaffed and under-resourced relative to the scope and complexity of its mission.

Currently, BIS operates with just 585 total employees, a shockingly small workforce given its critical mission of protecting national security via export controls. Compare that to, for example, the International Trade Administration, which has a staggering 2,278 employees despite focusing solely on trade promotion and unfair trade practices.

BIS’ Export Administration division has just 218 employees and is responsible for reviewing over 30,000 license applications per year—applications that, in FY2023, took about 43 days each to fully review. The Export Enforcement team, which investigates and prevents export control violations, has only 247 staff members, who must “scrutinize miniscule details of direct exports from the United States, in-country transfers abroad, re-exports of licensed and unlicensed U.S. items, as well as the export from abroad of certain foreign-produced items.”

The complexity of these tasks has continued to increase as new items are added to export controls and as new parties are added to the list of entities requiring special screening.

Because of this understaffing, BIS has a limited global footprint.

Currently, Export Control Officers (ECOs) are stationed in just 9 international locations, with domestic export enforcement offices in only 12 U.S. cities. A single export control officer is responsible for all South-East Asia and Australia, a region central to AI chip smuggling. This leaves vast regions with minimal oversight. Thus, BIS funding is essential for maintaining visibility across global supply chains and preventing the circumvention of their controls.

But not only is BIS’s workforce spread thin, but its IT infrastructure remains trapped in the past. The agency relies on systems developed in 2006 and 2008, and while its infrastructure has received some updates, it simply cannot handle the current number of applications BIS receives.

While the FY2025 budget proposed a $122,000 increase to develop and replace these antiquated systems with modern cloud-based capabilities, this represents only a first step toward the technological modernization the agency urgently needs. The FY2025 budget also proposed an increase in funding to integrate available data and AI tools that would reduce the time analysts need to investigate companies and their export activities and create automatic alerts when suspicious export patterns emerge. But without sustained and increased funding for 2026, this system risks becoming outdated before it can deliver its full operational impact.

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BIS’s role is currently expanding faster than its capacity—and in 2026, it must scale, not stall.

The consequences of inadequate funding are not abstract. We’ve already seen evidence of critical technology diversion, including advanced AI chips making their way to China via Singapore despite export controls. When critical technologies fall into the wrong hands, America is at risk of losing its economic and technological advantage.

While the U.S. contemplates funding increases, China continues to concoct sophisticated procurement networks designed to circumvent our controls and acquire our most advanced innovations.

Fortunately, BIS stands in the way—but it cannot succeed without adequate resources. The proposed $122 million increase would transform BIS from an understaffed agency struggling to keep pace with its expanding mission to a modernized effective guardian of America’s most critical technologies.

Last year’s proposal from the House Appropriations Committee to slash the BIS budget by millions was a mistake. Congress should recognize this funding increase for what it is: a prudent investment in the U.S.’s economic and national security that will pay dividends for generations to come.

In the high-stakes competition with China and other adversaries, the U.S. cannot afford to skimp on technological security. We must give the president every tool possible to protect our economic and technological edge. The dollars we invest today will determine whether the global digital future is shaped by America or by China.

The choice is still ours to make.