Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a Commissioner of the bipartisan National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB), joined the AI+ Biotechnology Summit to deliver a keynote address on the future of biotechnology and artificial intelligence. Earlier this week, the Commission 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.

Key Excerpts

The United States has long led the world in biotechnology progress, but Padilla underscored the growing threat posed by China’s skyrocketing investments in research and development (R&D) for biotechnological advancements. China’s biopharma R&D investments have risen from $35 million in 2015 to $15 billion today, and they now control 80 percent of global pharmaceuticals.

• “This is no longer hypothetical — we are at real risk of falling behind. Today, we need a molecular moonshot to get ahead, and stay ahead, in developing the biotech of the future. Why? Because our very national security is on the line.”

• “Every day that we allow China to drive the industry is another day American leadership in biotech falls behind. So we have an enormous problem set before us, there’s no denying it. But we also have an enormous opportunity before us, and I hope we seize it.”

Padilla also highlighted California’s longstanding leadership in biotechnology, noting that more patents for bioscience and biotech are issued to California than any other state and that California’s life sciences companies continue to raise the most venture capitalism investment in the nation. He also discussed the crucial problems biotechnology can help solve, including agriculture, medicine, biofuels, food security, and more.

He emphasized the importance of strengthening international collaboration to promote these essential biotechnology priorities as the Trump Administration pulls back from longstanding alliances and cuts ties with programs and partnerships that keep Americans safe.

• “You don’t have to have a PhD in foreign policy to understand that we cannot go at this alone. We understand the adage that ‘No Man Is an Island’ — and that when we pull back on our commitments, it’s not only wrong to our allies, it also creates a vacuum for our adversaries to fill. That’s true for our security, that’s true economically, and it is absolutely true for biotechnology.”

• “With the release of this report, my hope is that we can highlight just how dangerous it would be to pull back now. Instead of moving further away from our spot at the head of the table, we should be leveraging it to mobilize our allies.”

Senator Padilla was appointed to serve as a Congressional Commissioner after Congress formed the Commission in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. Yesterday, Padilla and the other Commissioners, Chair Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.-05) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to promote federal coordination on emerging biotechnology and streamline the regulatory structures currently inhibiting biotechnology innovation. Last year, 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.

Video of Padilla’s remarks is available here.

Padilla’s full remarks as prepared for delivery are available below:

Good afternoon!

It is so great to be here at the AI and biotechnology summit alongside members of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology to unveil our new report!

I want to thank:

• My colleague and Chair of the Commission, Senator Todd Young
• Vice Chair, Dr. Michelle Rozo, who has been instrumental to all our Congressional engagements on both sides of the aisle
• And all of the other commissioners and staff who have worked so hard to make this day happen

This is a report three years in the making. And my hope is that it can serve as a watershed moment for biotech in America and, as we’ll talk about later, for the world.

I am proud to be here today as a commissioner. But I’m also proud to be here today as a U.S. Senator who represents California.

California is the birthplace of biotech.

Whether it’s the founding of Genentech in 1970s San Francisco, or a booming industry aided by researchers at Stanford, Berkeley, and UCSF.

Even today, more patents for bioscience and biotech are issued to California than any other state.

And our life sciences companies continue to raise more in venture capitalism investment than any other state.

So you could say California has some experience here!

And while my personal experience isn’t in biotech, I am one of the few Senators with a background in engineering.

I earned my degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

And to this day, people ask me, “How do you go from engineering to politics and government?”

I tell them: “It’s perfectly logical. Engineers are trained to solve problems. Isn’t that what policymakers are supposed to do?”

Today, we’ve got quite the problem set before us!

It’s not just about the problems that biotech can help us solve — from agriculture to medicine to biofuels and more.

It’s also the global technology competition we now find ourselves in with China.

From artificial intelligence to biotechnology, the stakes are high — and the time to act is now.

We are truly at an inflection point in biotechnology development.

We’re making progress at a speed once unimaginable. And yet, we also know we’re at risk of falling behind.

How can that be?

It comes down to investment. And priorities.

Over the last two decades, China has invested in biotechnological advancements.

And as a result, as you may have heard today, China’s research and development have skyrocketed.

In 2015, China’s biopharma R&D investment sat at 35 million dollars.

Today, it’s 15 billion — that’s billion, with a “B.”

China now controls 80 percent of global pharmaceuticals.

This is no longer hypothetical — we are at real risk of falling behind.

Today, we need a molecular moonshot to get ahead — and stay ahead — in developing the biotech of the future.

Why? Because our very national security is on the line.

Of course, that means investments in things Americans think about and interact with every single day — like the fruits and vegetables they count on to be safe to eat, and the supply chains they rely on every time they go to the grocery store.

Because yes, food security is national security, too.

In fact, that’s why just last spring, Senator Young and I came together to introduce a bipartisan package of bills to protect our food supply — which would establish a Senior Advisor for National Security within the USDA, and establish the USDA Office of Biotechnology policy.

But it has to reach beyond food to things like energy sources, vaccines, and medicine.

Because we can’t afford to find ourselves in a position where China controls a majority of the world’s pharmaceuticals — and then decides to turn off the spigot.

Let’s say they wanted to retaliate for some hypothetical trade war a U.S. president was waging…

But that’s what’s at stake! And we have to be clear-eyed and honest about the threats we face.

And of course, the shadow hanging over any discussion of national security and biotech is the threat of biological war and bioterrorism.

While we hope we never see it, warfare of the future won’t just be fought with AI and drones.

It’ll be fought with bioweapons, too.

We have a responsibility try to prepare and prevent that.

Now, I know that in a few minutes you’ll have the opportunity to hear a discussion on the importance of allies in this fight.

And it’s an important point! Because for as much progress as we’ve made as a nation, we can be that much stronger on the world stage if we’re pulling in the same direction as our allies.

In fact, our Commission has already sent delegations to visit partners, including Sweden and the UK … whose ambassadors you will hear from shortly.

But I also want to acknowledge that we’re in a strange moment in history for U.S. leadership.

In just less than three months, the Trump Administration has dramatically pulled back from international alliances. They’ve cut ties with programs and partnerships that in many cases have kept us safe.

And they have openly taunted and threatened our allies.

But what I would say is this: you don’t have to have a PhD in foreign policy to understand that we cannot go at this alone.

We understand the adage that “No Man Is an Island” — and that when we pull back on our commitments, it’s not only wrong to our allies, it also creates a vacuum for our adversaries to fill.

That’s true for our security, that’s true economically, and it is absolutely true for biotechnology.

With the release of this report, my hope is that we can highlight just how dangerous it would be to pull back now.

Instead of moving further away from our spot at the head of the table, we should be leveraging it to mobilize our allies.

We should be working with the State Department to not only fund international research and secure supply chains, but to also use them to promote American industry in foreign markets.

We can and should be forming reciprocal biological data sharing agreements.

Because together, the U.S. can learn more from other leading researchers.

At the same time, we can build out our influence, so that other nations rely on our homegrown biotech hubs.

And lastly, Congress should jump at the opportunity to write the rules of the road for biotech.

Because every day that we allow China to drive the industry is another day American leadership in biotech falls behind.

So we have an enormous problem set before us — there’s no denying it.

But we also have an enormous opportunity before us, and I hope we seize it.

With that, I want to thank you, again, for having me. And enjoy the rest of today’s summit.

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