Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

Biotech Commission report emphasizes: Emerging biotechnology is key to continued U.S. dominance and securing future economic growth in a new era of global competition

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and the other Commissioners of the bipartisan National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) delivered their major report and action plan, urging Congressional action to bring the full weight of American innovation to improve and maintain U.S. global leadership in biotechnology. Padilla was appointed to serve as a Congressional Commissioner after Congress formed the Commission in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

For decades, the United States has been the global leader in biotechnology innovation. Today’s Commission report found that the United States is dangerously close to falling behind China. The Commission reports that the United States’ growing dependence on China for numerous critical supply chain elements is a national security vulnerability. Biotechnology is key to increasing supply chain security, resilience, and scalability by allowing the United States to control its own access to critical components.

“Biotechnology holds immense potential to transform numerous key sectors of our economy and will create good-paying jobs at all skill levels in agriculture, health care, defense, industrial manufacturing, and more. I am proud to be part of this commission that is ensuring the United States maintains our national security and economic competitive advantages as biotechnology grows across industries,” said Senator Padilla.

“The United States is locked in a competition with China that will define the coming century. Biotechnology is the next phase in that competition. It is no longer constrained to the realm of scientific achievement. It is now an imperative for national security, economic power, and global influence. Biotechnology can ensure our warfighters continue to be the strongest fighting force on tomorrow’s battlefields, and reshore supply chains while revitalizing our manufacturing sector, creating jobs here at home,” said Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.).

The Commission found that emerging biotechnology is rapidly advancing, and the impact of biotechnology innovation already extends far beyond health, touching industries from agriculture and infrastructure to manufacturing and defense. The intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology is accelerating this impact.

The Commission also reported that biotechnology will drive the next wave of battlefield innovation and will be used to secure supply chains, enhance readiness, streamline logistics, improve resilience, and counter biological threats before they emerge.

Furthermore, the Commission assessed that the future of American biotechnology leadership requires strategic federal action that encourages innovation by spurring private investment. This includes targeted investments and strategic government reforms to reduce regulatory bottlenecks.

In addition to Senators Padilla and Young, the bipartisan Commission includes Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.-05) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), as well as outside experts.

“As emerging technologies transform the national security landscape, both the United States and our adversaries are gaining new capabilities. The United States must take the lead in biotechnology and propel us ahead of China in the 21st century,” said Representative Bice.

“We must embolden the best and brightest in biotechnology to innovate boldly. American ingenuity is stifled by outdated regulations in this sector. Only Congress can open the door to the American-led biotechnological future,” said Representative Khanna.

“Technology is not inherently good or bad, but who uses it matters. Biotechnology can have tremendous potential for good or tremendous potential for harm. The Chinese government has made biotechnology a strategic national priority for 20 years. The U.S. must reassert our global leadership to remedy this strategic weakness. We must be the ones driving the standards for how biotechnology is developed and used,” said NSCEB Vice Chair Dr. Michelle Rozo.

The Commission’s report laid out six pillars for action and makes 49 recommendations. Full details can be found here.

• Pillar 1: Prioritize biotechnology at the national level
• Pillar 2: Mobilize the private sector to get U.S. products to scale
• Pillar 3: Maximize the benefits of biotechnology for defense
• Pillar 4: Out-innovate our strategic competitors
• Pillar 5: Build the biotechnology workforce of the future
• Pillar 6: Mobilize the collective strengths of our allies and partners

Last year, Senators Padilla and Young introduced a bipartisan package of bills focused on protecting America’s food security and agricultural supply chains, which are critical to U.S. national security. Padilla also announced the Commission’s first round of findings and recommendations for policymakers in an interim report outlining the promise of biotechnology for U.S. national security and economic competitiveness and growth.

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