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Treasury’s CFIUS chief emphasizes speed, scrutiny and outreach in 2026 priorities
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Summary
Assistant Secretary Chris Pilkerton told the House Financial Services subcommittee that CFIUS will prioritize rigorous national-security reviews while pursuing process efficiencies through a known-investor pilot, expanded research staff and international engagement to protect U.S. investment and competitiveness.
Assistant Secretary Chris Pilkerton, head of the Treasury’s Office of Investment Security, told lawmakers that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States must balance “rigorous and dependable” national-security reviews with a predictable process that welcomes beneficial foreign investment. Pilkerton said he was sworn in “just over a week ago on January 5” and outlined priorities for 2026, including mandatory-filing compliance, stakeholder outreach and pilot programs to speed low-risk reviews.
“Process, process, process,” Pilkerton said, summarizing his approach. He described the known-investor pilot as a fast-track concept designed to collect detailed information from repeat, trusted investors so Treasury and CFIUS can “maximize administrative efficiencies while still adhering to the integrity of the process, including robust due diligence and tailored actions where necessary to protect national security.” He said Treasury will issue a request for information to gather public feedback on the pilot.
Pil-kerton (as introduced during the hearing) emphasized that CFIUS will continue to rely on interagency expertise, including the intelligence community and law enforcement, when assessing national-security risks. On staffing, he said one priority is “to double the size of our research team to ensure that we have PhD experts” to track fast-emerging technologies such as AI, quantum computing and biotechnology.
On non-notified transactions, Pilkerton said CFIUS uses open-source reporting, community referrals and intelligence signals to identify matters that may warrant a review. “If we find out about them, then we can work with the parties to see if there is a way to get to mitigation or get to a potential transaction,” he said. He repeatedly underscored that confidentiality rules constrain what he could say about individual cases.
The hearing closed with Pilkerton agreeing to follow up with committee staff on specific, confidential inquiries via Treasury’s legislative team. Lawmakers were given five legislative days to submit written questions to the witness.
