House passes bill to protect U.S. biosecurity from China

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Monday to prohibit federal contracts with five biotechnology companies linked to the Chinese Communist Party. China’s ruling political party requires companies to share any data it requests, according to the House Select Committee on the CCP. That includes biotechnology companies that test, collect, and store American genomic data, according to the committee.

What was the margin of support? The bipartisan bill passed 306 to 81 on Monday. Critics of the bill, including Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., have said it’s unclear how the committee chose the companies. The bill now heads to the Senate. It’s unclear whether it will be heard before the session ends at the end of this month.

What have the Chinese companies said? One company, BGI Group, denied that they pose any national security risks and don’t access Americans’ personal data in their work. Another one of the companies, MGI Group, said the law could stifle innovation by disrupting the global flow of information.

Wasn’t there another recent bill meant to protect against the CCP?The House on Tuesday passed a bill that would restrict funding from the Department of Homeland Security to institutes of higher education that have relationships with any Chinese Entities of Concern, or Confucius Institutes funded by the Chinese government. Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, said in a statement that the Confucious Institutes are being used to steal intellectual property, intimidate Chinese dissidents and conduct other espionage. That bill, also a bipartisan effort, passed 249 to 161. The bills are just two of a series of bills under consideration this week meant to combat Chinese influence.