[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 103 (Thursday, June 16, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E634]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          FARM BILL IMPACT SERIES NO. 11: BIODEFENSE AND NBAF

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                            HON. TRACEY MANN

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2022

  Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, in preparation for reauthorizing the Farm 
Bill in 2023, I rise today to deliver the eleventh installment of my 
Farm Bill Impact Series, where I am highlighting various aspects of the 
Farm Bill that deserve Congress' awareness and support. We need robust 
biosecurity in America not only because we need to eat in order to 
survive, but also because strong American agriculture will help keep 
our country free and self-determining as a Nation.
  Manhattan, KS, the home of my alma mater Kansas State University, is 
also home to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, or NBAF. This 
state-of-the-art, 700,000 square foot facility will be a national asset 
that helps protects our nation's agriculture against the threat and 
potential impact of serious animal diseases. Experts believe that 75 
percent of new and emerging infectious animal diseases can be 
transmitted from animals to humans. NBAF will be home to the only 
maximum biocontainment space in the country, where USDA will be conduct 
comprehensive research, develop vaccines and anti-virals, and explore 
enhanced diagnostic and training capabilities.
  The United States Department of Agriculture is currently working with 
the Department of Homeland Security to bring NBAF online by this 
December, and to begin establishing partnerships between two key 
sectors heavily invested in animal health: academia and industry. 
Working with scientists and other industry professionals, NBAF will 
create new safety and security guidelines that will be critical for the 
prevention of future pandemics. Currently, scientists are conducting 
this very important research in New York at the Plum Island Animal 
Disease Center, which is more than 60 years old. NBAF will replace this 
aging facility, create 400 local jobs for Kansans, generate over $100 
million in total economic benefit for our state, and make Kansas the 
home of internationally recognized animal disease experts. NBAF isn't 
just an exciting development for Kansas, it also marks the future of 
biodefense research that will protect the United States and the world.
  The 2018 Farm Bill contained special authorization for biosecurity 
planning and response, which helped make NBAF possible. That version of 
the bill explicitly mentioned, ``the coordination of tactical science 
activities to protect the integrity, reliability, sustainability, and 
profitability of the food and agricultural system of the United States 
against biosecurity threats from pests, diseases, contaminants, and 
disasters.'' NBAF is a concrete example of the impact that we can have 
when we reauthorize the Farm Bill in careful and creative ways.
  During National Agriculture Month in March, I brought House 
Agriculture Committee Republican Leader GT Thompson on an Ag tour of 
Kansas where I was proud to show him NBAF. The technology, scale, and 
international significance of the facility is truly second to none. 
Once fully operational in December, NBAF won't just support and protect 
agriculture, it will protect our country and the world. I'll be back on 
the floor soon to deliver another installment of my Farm Bill Impact 
Series and highlight more programs and titles within the Bill that I 
believe Congress must understand and support to ensure that agriculture 
thrives in America.

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