Lankford Putting a Stop to US Reliance on China for Pharmaceuticals

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK –Senator James Lankford (R-OK), a member of the Senate Finance, Homeland Security, andIntelligence Committees, introduced the Pharmaceuticals Supply Chain Security Act to proactively reduce US dependence on China for our pharmaceutical supply chain.

“One of the many lessons we should have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is we cannot depend on China for our pharmaceuticals,” said Lankford. “When the US is reliant on communist China for energy or essential drugs, it is a serious national security threat. Our senior adults, kids, and the chronically ill need us to produce our own pharmaceuticals here in the US or at least import finished products and components from our allies. We can and should make this transition as soon as possible to safeguard the health security of the American people. My bill gets us going down that path.”

The bill authorizes financing with allied governments to make strategic investments in pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity outside of China. The bill would also require the federal government to identify all completed pharmaceutical products and components imported from China in significant amounts, and develop a strategy to reduce that dependence and strengthen national security.

For years Lankford has called for resilience against China’s economic coercion, seeking to address ongoing dependence on China for everything from farmland purchases to pharmaceuticals to critical minerals. Lankford has championed the SOIL Act, which targets international land purchases from countries that threaten national security. Lankford ledthe bipartisan Quad Critical Minerals Partnership Act and recently introduced new legislation to reduce the US’ reliance on China for critical minerals. Lankford continues to call out the Biden Administration’s soft approach to China and encourages the Administration to directly address with China their human rights and religious freedom abuses.

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