U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) on Sept. 3 proposed a bipartisan package of six bills aimed at protecting America’s food security and agriculture supply chains that he will seek to include in the upcoming Farm Bill.
“Biotechnology offers tremendous opportunities to strengthen America’s food security and spur innovation in agriculture, both of which are critical to our national security,” said Sen. Young, chairman of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB). “Our bills will help the United States maintain global leadership in emerging biotechnology and ensure the benefits reach more Americans.”
Alongside lead cosponsor U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), an NSCEB commissioner, Sen. Young sponsored:
- The Synthetic Biology Advancement Act of 2025, S. 2695, to establish a National Synthetic Biology Center, which would provide a hub for researchers and industry partners in the United States to discover and develop science-based solutions based on synthetic biology to improve agricultural performance while minimizing environmental impact and improving overall food system resiliency.
- The National Biotechnology Safety Act, S. 2697, which would authorize the National Science Foundation to conduct research on the safety of biotechnology organisms, establishing clearer and more efficient approval pathways.
- The Biobased Market Expansion Act of 2025, S. 2693, which would reauthorize and bolster the BioPreferred Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to better support domestic biomanufacturing.
At the same time, Sen. Young cosponsored three other bills with bill sponsor Sen. Padilla. They are:
- The Agriculture and National Security Act, S. 2694, which would help identify and mitigate threats to food and agriculture by establishing an Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for National Security within the USDA.
- The Agricultural Biotechnology Coordination Act, S. 2692, to establish the USDA Office of Biotechnology Policy to develop and coordinate department policies on biotechnology and biomanufacturing.
- The Foundation for Enabling Biotechnology Innovation Act, S. 2696, which would establish an independent foundation to ease regulatory burdens, foster public-private partnerships, expand market access and international cooperation, and support federal agency efforts.
“We must prioritize American agricultural and emerging biotech innovation to strengthen our food supply chain as a critical infrastructure sector, while protecting our national security interests against rising global competition,” said Sen. Padilla. “Our bipartisan package will facilitate close interagency coordination to secure our agricultural sector and spur innovation.”
All six bills have been endorsed by the NSCEB, which was established by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 and charged with examining the intersection of emerging biotechnology and national security.