Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna and Representative Rich McCormick on Thursday introduced the Federal Biotechnology Workforce Assessment Act in Washington, directing federal agencies to evaluate whether the US government has sufficient skilled personnel to sustain American leadership in biotechnology — a sector where competition with China is intensifying rapidly.

What the Legislation Proposes

The bill tasks the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with working alongside federal agencies to define the biotechnology workforce and assess current and projected staffing needs for 'bio-literate' employees across government. The resulting report would be submitted to Congress to guide future hiring strategies and workforce development policies tied to biotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced manufacturing.

The measure is paired with McCormick's companion legislation, the Biotechnology Workforce Alignment Act. Together, the two bills are designed to identify workforce gaps and align federal research priorities with the needs of the biotechnology industry.

The National Security Backdrop

The legislation follows an April 2025 assessment by the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB), which concluded that a properly trained biotechnology workforce within the US government was essential to maintaining American leadership in emerging technologies. NSCEB Commissioner Paul Arcangeli described the biotechnology workforce as 'a national security asset.'

'These bills are an important step toward making sure the United States can stay ahead in scientific innovation, AI-enabled discovery, and advanced biomanufacturing,' Arcangeli said. He stressed that the pipeline must extend beyond laboratory scientists to include 'industrial technicians, mechanics, pipefitters, and other skilled workers who will power the biotechnology economy of the future.'

What the Lawmakers Said

Khanna framed the bill as a competitiveness imperative. 'Investments into bolstering America's federal biotechnology workforce will pave a path toward economic and scientific leadership for the US in the 21st-century economy,' he said. He added that the legislation would 'assess America's preparedness to beat China in biotechnology discovery, invention, and entrepreneurship.'

McCormick cast the proposal as both an economic and national security initiative. 'America leads the world in biotechnology, and we need to keep it that way,' he said. 'Right now, we're making historic investments in biotech research and biomanufacturing. Still, we're leaving talent on the table because we don't have a coordinated strategy to build the workforce that industry actually needs.'

Broader Context and What Comes Next

The bill arrives amid sustained concern in Washington that the United States risks ceding ground to China in strategic sectors including biotechnology, AI, and quantum technologies. Notably, this is a bipartisan effort — a rarity in the current legislative climate — signalling that biotech competitiveness commands cross-aisle urgency. The legislation must clear committee review before advancing to a full Congressional vote, and its passage would set in motion the first comprehensive federal audit of biotechnology staffing needs.