119th (2025–2027)
S. 5316
The Biotech Investment National Security Act of 2026 expands national security oversight of biotechnology investments by adding biotechnology to the list of technologies subject to U.S. government screening under the Defense Production Act of 1950. The bill targets concerns that American capital and intellectual property are flowing to Chinese biotechnology companies through licensing agreements, joint ventures, and equity investments worth an estimated $136 billion in 2025, which Congress views as creating strategic vulnerabilities similar to those in semiconductors and rare earth elements. The Treasury Secretary must issue new regulations within one year to define which biotechnology transactions require government approval or notification, with particular focus on drug discovery platforms, clinical development, biologics manufacturing, and intellectual property licensing to foreign entities controlled by China. The bill explicitly excludes agricultural biotechnology and basic academic research from its scope. Additionally, the Defense Secretary must submit a report within 60 days assessing whether Chinese biotechnology investments pose risks to U.S. national security and military readiness.