Garamendi and Hartzler Introduce Bill to Protect Service Members from Chinese-Controlled Generic Pharmaceutical Industry
Washington, DC—Today, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee within the House Armed Services Committee, and Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Ranking Member of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee within the House Armed Services Committee, introduced the "Pharmaceutical Independence Long-Term Readiness Reform Act" (H.R. 4710).
The legislation requires the Department of Defense to identify the vulnerabilities faced by our country's dependence on Chinese pharmaceuticals, and to only purchase American-made raw materials, medicines, and vaccines for the military.
"Right now, China has the ability to attack the United States without firing a single shot by poisoning our servicemembers' medicines or cutting off their supply." Garamendi said. "The Chinese government is the principal developer of generic prescriptions, which account for approximately 90 percent of pharmaceuticals. China's chokehold on the global pharmaceutical market leaves our servicemembers and our nation vulnerable to attack. We need to reinvigorate the United States industrial base to produce generic medicines and antibiotics domestically. Doing so will create thousands of new middle-class jobs and make our country safer. I appreciate Congresswoman Hartzler's partnership in our effort to resolve this issue."
"Put simply, China having control over the production of our military's medicine poses a grave national security threat. Not only does it open the possibility of them deliberately manipulating our servicemember's medical regimens and causing physical harm, but the Chinese government's lack of proper oversight and regulatory standards on prescription drugs is also deeply alarming to me. We need to ensure that our military's medicine is American-made," Hartzler said.
The full text of the "Pharmaceutical Independence Long-Term Readiness Reform Act" (H.R. 4710) can be viewed here.