U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) on April 9 proposed a bipartisan bill that would set in motion a whole-of-government approach to advancing biotechnology for U.S. national security, economic productivity, and competitiveness.
“The United States has long been a leader in biotechnology, but we now risk losing our edge to China,” said Sen. Young, chairman of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB). “In this era of global competition, we need to promote American biotech innovation and manufacturing.
“Our legislation will provide a long-term strategy to make federal agencies work together — with greater efficiency — to support American biotechnology,” Sen. Young added.
The lawmaker sponsored the National Biotechnology Initiative Act of 2025, S. 1387, with lead cosponsor U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), an NSCEB commissioner, to establish a National Biotechnology Coordination Office within the Executive Office of the President to lead and coordinate federal biotechnology efforts.
“By creating the National Biotechnology Coordination Office, our bipartisan legislation would ensure lasting, organized collaboration between federal agencies to build a long-term biotech strategy and secure American leadership in its development,” said Sen. Padilla.
Under S. 1387, the National Biotechnology Coordination Office (NBCO) also would streamline biotechnology regulation to ease regulatory burdens on well-understood products, negotiate interagency agreements to describe clear regulatory pathways, and work with the Office of Management and Budget in cases of disagreement, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Young’s staff.
Additionally, the NBCO would publish a national biotechnology strategy every five years; the office would include a principal advisor to the president for biotechnology who would also serve as director of the office; and an interagency committee would coordinate across federal departments and agencies, among other provisions, the summary says.
U.S. Reps. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), who are also NSCEB commissioners, introduced the same legislation in the U.S. House, according to the summary.