House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on Monday afternoon that Congress is working to pass a package of China-related legislation by the end of the year including a bipartisan bill that aims to protect American patient data from falling into the hands of foreign adversaries’ biotechnology companies.
During a speech at the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank, Rep. Johnson stressed that “China poses the greatest threat to global peace.”
“Congress must keep our focus on countering China with every tool at our disposal in the short time remaining in this Congress,” Rep. Johnson said. The speaker explained that Congress is already busy working on legislation to do just that.
“We will vote on the BIOSECURE Act, which will halt Federal contracts with biotech companies that are beholden to adversaries and endanger Americans’ healthcare data,” he said.
Reps. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., introduced the BIOSECURE Act in May. The bill would prevent Federal agencies from entering into contracts with certain biotech providers connected to foreign adversaries.
Companies of concern include Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) and WuXi AppTec, among others that have significant ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich, and Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., introduced legislation in the Senate with the same aims, titled the Prohibiting Foreign Access to American Genetic Information Act of 2024.
“Our goal is to have a significant package of China-related legislation signed into law by the end of this year in this Congress, featuring these priorities and many more, and we’ll work aggressively toward that package,” Rep. Johnson said.
“I’m very hopeful that much of this can be bipartisan, and in the next Congress we’ll maintain the status and continue the important work of our House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party threat,” he concluded.
