Joyce, Trone Introduce Bipartisan Bills to Strengthen U.S. National Security
Congressmen John Joyce, M.D. (R-PA) and David Trone (D-MD) today introduced two bills to bolster America's national security and improve our medical infrastructure.
The Strengthening Our Health Security Through Resilient Medical Supply Chains Annual Review Act seeks to identify longstanding issues and fortify our medical supply chains. This commonsense legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to complete an annual report to assess our nation's dependence on critical devices, supplies, and drugs sourced outside of the U.S. and provide recommendations to strengthen domestic medical supply chains, including encouraging domestic production of these items.
"Moving our medical supply chain to the United States and our allies and away from hostile regimes such as the Chinese Communist Party is key for our nation's health and safety," said Congressman Joyce. "By ending our dependence on the Chinese government for critical medicines and supplies, we can ensure the safety of our supply chain while creating family-sustaining jobs for American workers. This commonsense legislation takes a step in the right direction as we seek to move our sourcing away from China. The United States never should be beholden to the Chinese Communist Party for our health care supplies, and I will continue working to strengthen our supply chain and protect American families."
"From my years in business, I know just how important it is to have a dependable supply chain," said Congressman Trone. "This pandemic has shown us that our medical supply chain in the United States is in need of repair. The Strengthening our Health Security Through Resilient Medical Supply Chains Annual Review Act will allow us to create a supply chain that can withstand future public health crises and will create jobs in the process. I'd like to thank Congressman Joyce for working with me on this critical legislation."
The Genome Editing Threat Assessment Act will require the Assistant Secretary for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office of the Department of Homeland Security to develop a threat assessment on the vulnerabilities and provide recommendations to address what is found during the assessment.
"In the last five years alone, scientists have made remarkable advances in biotechnology, particularly in the area of genomics," said Congressman Joyce. "As our nation fights the coronavirus crisis, it is critical that we prepare for a new wave of biological threats. I am proud to introduce the Genome Editing Threat Assessment Act alongside Congressman Trone to ensure that the United States stands ready to combat any and all malicious actors and bio threats."
"I thank my friend Congressman John Joyce for his leadership on this important issue," said Congressman Trone. "The Genome Editing Threat Assessment Act will provide our country with important information to help ensure we are prepared to meet future biological threats."
Considerations include: the dual-use of emerging biotechnology; the ability of gene editing to maliciously proliferate infectious diseases and pandemics on human, animal, and plant populations; the cybersecurity vulnerabilities in computer systems analyzing genomic data; and, the privacy concerns associated with analyzing genomic data.
Background:
Congressman Joyce serves on the Homeland Security Committee and is a member of the China Task Force.
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