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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10859 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10859
To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the Secretary of
Defense to develop a strategy with respect to threats posed by the
biotechnology capabilities of foreign adversaries, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 22, 2026
Mrs. Biggs of South Carolina introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the Secretary of
Defense to develop a strategy with respect to threats posed by the
biotechnology capabilities of foreign adversaries, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Biotech Defense Act''.
SEC. 2. COUNTERING BIOTECHNOLOGY THREATS FROM THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF
CHINA.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the rapid advancement of the People's Republic of China
in biotechnology, including gene-editing, synthetic biology,
and dual-use technologies, poses a significant threat to the
national security of the United States and its military
superiority;
(2) China's military-civil fusion strategy integrates
civilian biotechnology research with military applications,
potentially enabling the development of enhanced soldier
capabilities, bioweapons, and other asymmetric threats;
(3) China's dominance in global biotechnology supply chains
and its strategic investments in United States biotechnology
firms risk undermining United States innovation, security, and
access to critical resources;
(4) the United States must proactively integrate
biotechnology threats into its defense planning and
intelligence assessments to maintain strategic advantages; and
(5) robust oversight of foreign investments and
partnerships in the United States biotechnology sector is
essential to safeguard sensitive technologies and data from
adversarial exploitation.
(b) Integration of Threats Into National Defense Strategy.--Chapter
2 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following new section:
``Sec. 118d. Integration of Biotechnology Threats into National Defense
Strategy and Defense Planning Guidance.
``(a) The Secretary of Defense shall develop a strategy to ensure
that threats posed by the biotechnology capabilities of foreign
adversaries, particularly the People's Republic of China, are
integrated into--
``(1) the National Defense Strategy; and
``(2) the Defense Planning Guidance.
``(b) The strategy required under subsection (a) shall include--
``(1) an assessment of foreign adversaries' use of military
and dual-use biotechnology for military purposes, development
of biological agents, and ability to disrupt international and
United States supply chains critical to military operations;
``(2) strategies to counter such threats, including
investments in U.S. biotechnology research and development,
supply chain resilience, and defensive biotechnological
capabilities; and
``(3) coordination with allies and international partners
to address biotechnology-related national security risks.
``(c) The Secretary of Defense shall develop the strategy required
by this section in consultation with the Secretary of State, the
Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Homeland
Security, the Director of National Intelligence, defense and technology
industry partners, research and development partners, other Federal
research agencies, allies and partners of the United States, and other
appropriate organizations.
``(d)(1) The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report, in unclassified form but which may
contain a classified annex, that includes the strategy developed
pursuant to subsection (a).
``(2) In this subsection, the term `appropriate congressional
committees' means--
``(A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Relations, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and
Urban Affairs of the Senate; and
``(B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the
Committee on Financial Services of the House of
Representatives.''.
(c) Assessment of China's Use of Biotechnology for Military
Modernization.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Director of National
Intelligence, in consultation with the Director of the Central
Intelligence Agency, the Secretary of Commerce, and the
Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a comprehensive assessment of the
People's Republic of China's use of biotechnology for military
modernization.
(2) Elements of assessment.--The assessment required under
paragraph (1) shall include--
(A) an evaluation of China's biotechnology research
and development programs with potential military
applications, including gene-editing, synthetic
biology, and bioinformatics;
(B) an analysis of China's military-civil fusion
strategy and its impact on advancing military
biotechnology capabilities;
(C) an assessment of the potential for China to
develop biological weapons or other asymmetric
biotechnological threats;
(D) an assessment of Chinese entities, including
private companies, state-owned enterprises, and
government bodies, that are developing dual-use
biotechnology and any dependencies they have on United
States or other foreign technology, components, or
services;
(E) an evaluation of China's control over global
biotechnology supply chains and the implications for
United States military readiness; and
(F) recommendations for countermeasures, including
enhanced intelligence collection, export controls, and
international cooperation.
(3) Form.--The assessment shall be submitted in an
unclassified form, and may contain a classified annex.
(d) Interagency Coordination on Biotechnology Risk.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in
consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of
Commerce, the Secretary of the Treasury, and other appropriate
Federal agencies, shall establish monitoring and evaluation
mechanisms to conduct risk assessments by convening a
Biotechnology Risk Contact Group to carry out the duties
described in paragraph (2).
(2) Biotechnology risk contact group.--The Biotechnology
Risk Assessment Contact Group convened pursuant to paragraph
(1) shall--
(A) monitor and assess foreign investments,
partnerships, and joint ventures in the United States
biotechnology sector, with a focus on investments by
entities from the People's Republic of China;
(B) identify risks to national security posed by
such investments, including the potential transfer of
sensitive technologies, intellectual property, or
genomic data;
(C) coordinate with the Committee on Foreign
Investment in the United States to review
biotechnology-related transactions;
(D) develop and maintain a database of foreign
entities involved in the United States biotechnology
sector, including their affiliations with foreign
governments or military organizations; and
(E) provide annual reports to Congress on foreign
activities in the United States biotechnology sector,
along with recommendations for mitigation measures.
(3) Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the
establishment of the Biotechnology Risk Contact Group, and
every 90 days thereafter, the Secretary of Defense, in
consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of
Commerce, and the Secretary of the Treasury, shall brief the
appropriate congressional committees on the activities of the
Group.
(e) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section,
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Relations, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and
Urban Affairs of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the
Committee on Financial Services of the House of
Representatives.
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