Senators express concern over competition and data security.
A group of senators including Roger Marshall of Kansas, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Marco Rubio of Florida, and Susan Collins of Maine, have asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture about work the department is doing with a Chinese biotech firm. The Chinese firm, BGI, has already been blacklisted by the Departments of Defense and Commerce for “criminal business practices” and links to the People’s Liberation Army.
The USDA awarded $1 million to the Chinese company for its part in a project known as the Earth Bio Genome Project, which is endeavoring to map the genomes of over 1.6 million species. Senator Marshall called the project “an effort that will yield millions of powerful new solutions to agriculture’s challenges.”
The senators asked if the USDA has taken adequate measures to safeguard important data, expressing concerns that China could weaponize the information.
Senator Marshall said, “Our government must take extreme caution to prevent sponsoring research that gives any sensitive materials and intellectual property to the Chinese Communist Party.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the senators as they seek answers to troubling questions about the Chinese biotech firm.
- For federal legislators as they endeavor to protect U.S. interests and sensitive information.
- For the USDA secretary and officials as they respond to the senators’ query.
Sources: The Western Journal, Epoch Times
