Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the Agriculture and National Security Act and the Agricultural Biotechnology Coordination Act. These bills aim to bolster the global competitiveness of the United States agricultural sector in emerging biotechnology and to address security vulnerabilities across the food and agriculture sector.

Through the work of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, we have developed these proposals aimed at improving coordination between Agencies to accelerate agricultural biotechnology products and to include the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, in important national security discussions to enhance our capabilities on disease surveillance, food security, agriculture data security, and many other critical issues.

Agricultural biotechnology is a rapidly evolving field consisting of traditional breeding techniques and genetic engineering, among other methods, to alter living organisms into new or modified agricultural products for a variety of uses. Advances in agricultural biotechnology provide farmers with tools that can make production more efficient and manageable, which is critical for keeping pace with demands for food and our national security.

In 1986, the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology was established to provide for the regulatory oversight of organisms derived through genetic engineering. The approach taken in the Coordinated Framework is grounded in the judgment of the National Academy of Sciences that the potential risks associated with these organisms fall into the same general categories as those created by traditionally bred organisms.

The Agricultural Biotechnology Coordination Act would establish an Office of Biotechnology Policy at the USDA to support internal and interagency coordination, development of biotechnology policies, activities, and regulations, and to consult with biotechnology stakeholders and leaders.

The Agriculture and National Security Act would create the position of Senior Advisor for National Security within the USDA Office of the Secretary, appoint a detailee at USDA to liaison with national security Agencies, and direct the USDA to publish a report on national security food chain vulnerabilities.

Importantly, this legislation is supported by the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, which was chartered by Congress to conduct a review of how advancement in emerging biotechnology will shape current and future activities of the Department of Defense.

Strengthening America's longstanding leadership in biotechnology through promoting interagency coordination and appointing high-level officials to promote emerging biotechnology issues in agriculture is critical for maintaining national security, trade security, food security, and assessing any vulnerabilities throughout the food and agriculture sector.

Moreover, developments in agricultural biotechnology hold immense potential to revolutionize the agricultural sector and enhance food, trade, and economic security, particularly in the face of historic heat waves and rising temperatures caused by the climate crisis.

Agricultural biotechnology has allowed scientists to, for example, identify climate-resilient plant genes and species able to withstand weather extremes. Drought, flooding, and wildfires not only pose significant threat to farmers' livelihoods but also reliability in our food systems and consumers. In addition, genetically engineered plants have been bred to tolerate specific herbicides, protect against pests and diseases, and enhance nutritional capacity.

I would like to thank Senator Todd Young for introducing these bills with me, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Agricultural Biotechnology Coordination Act and the Agriculture and National Security Act as quickly as possible.

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