Biosecure Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, no, I support the bill.

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Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bipartisan H.R. 8333, BIOSECURE Act.

Simply put, this bill prevents American taxpayer dollars from flowing to foreign adversary biotech companies of concern.

The bill creates a process by which the executive branch will develop a list of entities, review and modify this list at least annually, and formulate implementation guidance for all Federal agencies. Further, the bill has an even number of Democratic and Republican cosponsors and received a thumping 40-1 markup in the Oversight and Accountability Committee. Human rights groups strongly support this bill, as well.

Fundamentally, this bill is about protecting Americans' genomic data, their healthcare data, and sensitive IP on America's most innovative and cutting-edge medicines.

The intelligence community has warned that the PRC illegally obtains large healthcare data sets to help carry out human rights abuses against minority groups in China. The IC has also warned of the high threat of the CCP stealing American IP. It is our responsibility to ensure that taxpayer dollars do not flow to any companies supporting any of these efforts.

This bill does not stop these companies from doing business in the U.S.; however, it does stop them from receiving Federal dollars funding their operations.

I would like to respectfully make three key points:

First, BGI Group is run by bad actors. For example, BGI, which is on the Defense Department's Chinese military companies list, has harvested data from 8 million pregnant women's DNA without their consent, including Americans. BGI then used that data to publish at least a dozen joint studies with the People's Liberation Army, also known as the PLA, which, in turn, has used this information to suppress Uyghurs. BGI controls MGI and Complete Genomics, which are also named entities.

Second, the WuXi AppTec Group is also run by bad actors. U.S. intelligence has shown that WuXi AppTec has secretly transferred U.S. IP to Chinese authorities in Beijing.

Third, the founding CEO of WuXi AppTec is also the chairman of WuXi Biologics. Not only that, but the CEO of WuXi Biologics, this gentleman over here on the far left, has been a guest lecturer at the PLA's Academy of Military Sciences, an institution on the Commerce Department's red flag list.

In addition, here is the CEO of WuXi Biologics co-teaching a class with Chinese General Chen Wei, director of the Chinese military's biological research institute.

Here is a picture of the CCP Party cell embedded at WuXi AppTec.

As Congress, we need to ask ourselves: Are we comfortable sending taxpayer dollars to companies that are run by bad actors and that work so closely with the Chinese Communist Party, the CCP?

The answer is, of course, no. No.

We need to act now. I understand legitimate concerns have been raised about making further changes. Our preference is to give maximum discretion to the executive branch. It is Congress' decision that these companies must be included in this bill. There is no doubt that this is a valid approach.

I support further changes being made. I am voting ``yes'' to move this process along because, on balance, a ``yes'' vote is the right vote.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this legislation, the BIOSECURE Act, to protect American genetic data and to protect American drug supply chains.

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Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, with regard to the process issue, on page 10 of the bill, there is actually a process where the Office of Management and Budget decides on no less than an annual basis to review the list and modify as appropriate.

OMB is given authority to promulgate regulations, and we think there should be additional details provided. I would like to work with the distinguished ranking member of the Rules Committee to further refine that process because I agree that it could use more detail.

Secondly, I point out again on WuXi Biologics, the chair of WuXi AppTec is the chair of WuXi Biologics.

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Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, that is why it is so disturbing to so many to see the CEO, the current CEO, of WuXi Biologics co-teaching a class with a Chinese general at the Biological Engineering Research Institute, the current CEO of WuXi Biologics actually being on the faculty of a PLA-affiliated institution. That is why the International Campaign for Tibet and Uyghur human rights groups strongly, strongly support this bill.

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