[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 30, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H5059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ESSENTIAL MEDICAL INNOVATION AND MANUFACTURING MUST COME HOME TO 
                                AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, in 2020, America is facing 
significant threats to our health, to our values, and to our national 
security. The Chinese Communist Party has attempted to exert control 
over every facet of America's economy and industry, and even our health 
and safety.
  The coronavirus has exposed that much of America's medical supply 
chain, as it currently stands, runs directly through China. This should 
concern every American. Why would we trust a regime that lies about a 
pandemic to control our access to healthcare?
  As a physician, I have long been concerned about the Chinese 
Communist Government's near monopoly on the manufacturing of generic 
medicines. And that threat doesn't stop there. We cannot allow the 
Chinese Communist Party to control our access to prescription drugs and 
the vital materials that are used in healthcare equipment, not to 
mention PPE.
  For the sake of American patients and our national security, we must 
correct course and return the essential medical innovation and 
manufacturing home to America and away from this hostile regime.
  For months, the China Task Force has been working to identify 
realistic and achievable solutions to secure our medical supply chain 
and ensure that Americans are never beholden to the Chinese Communist 
Party for our medicines and for our healthcare equipment. We are taking 
a comprehensive approach to end America's reliance on China and bring 
jobs home to America.
  Our supply chain challenges extend beyond the healthcare regime. From 
technology to manufacturing, too many materials that we rely on every 
day are sourced from China.
  Earlier this year, I introduced legislation that seeks to end 
America's dependence on China for rare earth elements and other 
critical minerals--these are essential, and they are used in the 
manufacturing of medical supplies, defense technology, and high-tech 
products--by establishing a supply chain for these materials here in 
the United States. It is important for our survival into the upcoming 
technology advancements that our country is so dependent on. It also 
requires the Department of Defense to source these materials from 
America.
  Pennsylvania, my home, is home to a dedicated and highly skilled 
workforce, and I am working on a plan to incentivize companies to bring 
their research, the development, and the production of materials back 
home.
  As President Trump said earlier this month: ``We want to build 
factories in Baltimore, not Beijing. We want to make our products in 
Chicago, not Shanghai.'' And, I might add, we want to make medicines in 
Chambersburg, not China.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the fight of our lives, and we have a real 
opportunity to make a difference. There is nothing partisan about 
securing America's place as a leader in the 21st century. There is 
nothing partisan about bringing jobs home to America. There is nothing 
partisan about combating a hostile regime's overreach into American 
lives.
  This is not about Republicans or Democrats; this is about Americans. 
I urge my colleagues from across the political spectrum to get behind 
our commonsense solutions to counter the Chinese Communist Party and 
protect our Nation.
  It is simple. We must secure our supply chains. We must defeat China 
in the race to the next-generation technology. We must prepare 
Americans to succeed in the years to come.
  From strengthening our supply chains and bringing jobs home to 
America and to our allies, countering Chinese interference in our 
educational institutions, we must take action. We must continue 
fighting to defend the American people and equip America to lead the 
way in the 21st century.
  As I have said before on this floor, this is the fight of our 
lifetime, and it is one that we certainly can win.

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