Legislation Would Ensure Preference Given To American Companies For Pentagon Research Funding
A bioscience company's decision to find a partner in China prompted the introduction of the measure. The legislation is the most recent example of the Trump administration and members of Congress taking a more aggressive role to counter the economic and national-security risks posed by China’s rise as a biotech power. Other news from Capitol Hill deals with abortion, black lung, and the 9/11 victims fund.
The Wall Street Journal:
Congress Targets China’s Biotech Ambitions
Pentagon funding helped San Francisco startup Twist Bioscience Corp. get off the ground. Then the maker of synthetic DNA got a partner in China, where it now plans to expand manufacturing and set up a subsidiary with the money from its recent initial public offering. In effect, the Defense Department’s nearly $5 million in funding for Twist served as a small boost to China’s rising biotech industry, which will benefit from the firm’s presence and the manufacturing jobs it creates. (O'Keefe, 6/20)
The Hill:
Democrat, Trump Nominee Have Fiery Exchange Over Abortion Rights For Rape Victims
President Trump's nominee to be the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva sparred with the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday over whether rape victims should be allowed to have abortions. "Should victims of sexual violence be able to terminate the pregnancy where legal?," the committee's ranking member, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), asked nominee Andrew Bremberg, currently the director of the Domestic Policy Council for the White House. (Siegel, 6/20)
NPR:
Regulators Resist Call For Action In Response To Black Lung Epidemic
The nation's top coal mine safety regulator told members of Congress Thursday that existing safety regulations are sufficient to protect miners from toxic dust, despite calls for change amid an epidemic of advanced black lung disease among coal miners in Appalachia. Assistant Secretary of Labor David Zatezalo, testifying before the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee, said sampling from coal mines shows a 99% compliance rate with rules designed to limit workers' exposure to silica, the dust blamed for the disease outbreak. (Berkes and Jingnan, 6/20)
The Washington Post:
Luis Alvarez, 9/11 Responder Who Fought For Victim Fund With Jon Stewart, Moves To Hospice
In what he indicated was his final interview, Luis Alvarez’s message was simple: It’s time for the government to make things right. The retired New York Police Department detective and Ground Zero responder implored members of Congress last week to reauthorize funding for people injured or sickened as a result of the 9/11 attacks. His heart-wrenching testimony drew national attention, one day before what would have been his 69th chemotherapy session to treat Stage 4 cancer. He was diagnosed 16 years after he rushed to Ground Zero after the twin towers collapsed. (Brice-Saddler, 6/20)
