Hagerty, Peters Partner to Protect Americans’ Genetic Data from Communist China-Directed Companies

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December 17, 2025
Senate approves BIOSECURE Act as part of National Defense Authorization
WASHINGTON—United States Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Gary Peters (D-MI) today applauded congressional passage of theirProhibiting Foreign Access to American Genetic Information (BIOSECURE) Actas part of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which now heads to the president to be signed into law. TheBIOSECURE Actwill ban U.S. taxpayer dollars, including government procurement, contracts, loans, and grants, from going to “biotechnology companies of concern”—such as China’s BGI Group and other entities designated on the Department of War’s so-called “1260H List” of Chinese military companies operating in the United States.
“Backed by the PRC’s balance sheet, BGI and other highly-subsidized CCP-directed companies have undercut their way into a critical position in the U.S. biotech market, creating a strategic vulnerability as they aggressively collect the genetic and other sensitive medical data of tens of millions of Americans,”said Senator Hagerty.“It’s deeply alarming that Chinese biotechnology companies are vacuuming vital genomic data that could be transferred back to China for malign or unknown purposes. We have seen this exploitative play before with Huawei’s nefarious tactics against the telecoms sectors of the United States and our allies. I’m pleased to see the Senate pass this bipartisan legislation to prevent U.S. taxpayer funds from advancing these predatory efforts that put Americans at long-term risk. I look forward to President Trump signing this bill into law.”
“When Americans undergo medical care, such as getting their blood drawn or other tests, they should be confident that their DNA will not end up in the wrong hands,”said Senator Peters.“Yet as more biotech companies owned or controlled by our adversaries gain access to Americans’ genomic data, more threats targeting this sensitive information emerge. This provision is a critical step to ensuring that Americans’ personal health and genetic information cannot be used by foreign adversaries to undermine our national security.”
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