Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I look forward to today’s discussion on this transformative field.
Biotechnology is reshaping nearly every aspect of American life—from AI-driven drug discovery and precision agriculture to synthetic biology and advanced biomanufacturing.
It is a strategic capability that underpins our economic strength, public health, food security, and national security.
Thanks to decades of federal investment, pioneering academic research, and a robust private sector, the United States has long been a global leader in biotechnology.
In the 1940s and 1950s, American scientist Norman Borlaug—known as the “Father of the Green Revolution”—developed high-yield crop strains that saved billions from famine and revolutionized food production.
His work laid the foundation for modern biotechnology, which took off in 1973 when American scientists developed a breakthrough technique that allowed the production of genetically engineered human insulin. It became the first U.S.-approved biotech product in 1982 and has since improved the lives of millions with diabetes.
More recently, American innovation has driven rapid advances in biotechnology—from gene editing with CRISPR-Cas9 to immunotherapies and precision medicine.
But today, we stand at a critical juncture, as U.S. leadership is under threat.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is laser-focused on global domination in next-generation biotechnologies. Through IP theft, international talent recruitment, and civil-military fusion, the CCP has a clear strategy to displace U.S. leadership—using biotechnology as a tool to challenge our security, our values, and our economic future.
We cannot allow an authoritarian regime that rejects transparency, ethics, and individual liberty to set the global standard for biotechnology.
To counter the CCP, we must build on our strengths. The United States has the most dynamic innovation ecosystem in the world.
To maintain our edge, we must ensure American innovation serves American interests.
This means reinforcing our domestic research enterprise, speeding lab-to-market progress, and ensuring taxpayer-funded breakthroughs benefit America—not our adversaries.
Federal R&D investments should align with industry strengths, clear bottlenecks, and respect fiscal realities.
We are not going to outmatch the CCP by copying its top-down approach.
We will win by embracing what sets our country apart: our freedom to innovate, our open scientific community, and the unmatched power of American ingenuity.
Now is the time to launch a new Golden Age of Innovation in biotechnology—rooted in American values, driven by public-private partnerships, and focused on solving the challenges of tomorrow.
This Committee has both the opportunity and the responsibility to preserve and propel American leadership in biotechnology well into the future.
I also recognize concerns raised in the research community regarding recent proposals in the President’s budget request.
Let me remind everyone that this is just the beginning of the budget process—an opening proposal, not a final verdict.
This Committee will review these proposals closely. We intend to work with the Administration to ensure America’s S&T enterprise remains strong and globally competitive.
As the GAO recently warned, our fiscal trajectory is unsustainable.
If we fail to course-correct, we jeopardize the long-term vitality of our entire science and technology portfolio. OMB’s budget request seeks to address this reality and is the beginning of a long conversation about how to meet that challenge.
If we truly believe research is an investment in the future—as I do—then we shouldn’t be funding it on the national credit card. We need a sustainable approach.
President Trump has tasked his science advisor to ensure U.S. leadership in emerging technologies, revitalize our scientific enterprise, and fuel economic growth.
The Administration, Congress, this Committee, and its stakeholders will now need to work together to chart a responsible path forward that achieves these goals.
If we get this right, we will protect not only our scientific leadership, but our security, economy, and way of life.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I look forward to the conversation ahead.