Good Day BIO: USTR nominee would use ‘every tool’ to enforce USMCA biotech provisions

Ending the week with what USTR nominee Doug McKalip said about agricultural biotech trade with Mexico and Korea, plus a new report that shows the dire need to invest in public health infrastructure and preparedness. (783 words, 3 minutes, 54 seconds)

USTR nominee would use ‘every tool’ to enforce USMCA biotech provisions

If confirmed as Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Doug McKalip said he’s ready to use “every tool…at our disposal” to enforce biotech provisions of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)—here’s more about his hearing yesterday. 

What happened: The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing yesterday on the nomination of Doug McKalip for Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; BIO supports his nomination.

The context: “Mexico is unfairly blocking American-grown corn and soybeans,” said Sen. Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) in his opening statement—read more.

Going deeper: “Mexico’s non-science-based treatment of agricultural biotechnology is undermining the development of products in the United States, and our farmers suffer as a result,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), around 01:28:00. “What are you going to do about enforcing USMCA biotechnology provisions to prevent disruption to North American grain markets and on-farm innovation?”

“This will be a key area of priority for me,” said McKalip, noting “biotechnology and agriculture innovations” are helping us manage the supply and climate challenges facing our food. “If we have to use USMCA provisions to enforce on biotechnology, that every tool should be at our disposal.”  

Access is key “not just for plants, but for animal-based biotechnology, as well,” McKalip added.

“USMCA opens up all kinds of possibilities for our ag tech, including gene editing,” noted Sen. Todd Young (R-IN). But with approval delays, Mexico lacks “a science-based approach.”  

What about Korea—which, according to USTR’s National Trade Estimate, has an “onerous and protracted” approval process for ag biotech? asked Sen. Young.

“We need to work hard to make sure there aren’t any unscientific barriers,” responded McKalip, noting that “what’s happening with genome editing…essentially mimics what could be done in breeding in a greenhouse, so the risks are commensurate with that.”

BIO’s take: “BIO would like to reiterate our support for Mr. McKalip, who is deeply familiar with the food and agriculture industry following three decades of leadership roles in agriculture policy and trade,” said BIO’s Vice President of International Affairs Nancy Travis. “His experience would be especially important in addressing Mexico’s failure to uphold its commitments to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)—specifically their non-science-based barriers for new biotech crops.”

U.S. public health and preparedness faces ‘chronic underfunding,’ says new report

“Chronic underfunding” of emergency preparedness and prevention programs hurt the U.S. COVID-19 response and continues to exacerbate inequity, putting Americans at risk, says a report released by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) yesterday.

The key finding: Since 2002, inflation-adjusted funding for CDC Public Health Emergency Preparedness Programs has declined by 50%, and for the Health and Human Services Hospital Preparedness Program by nearly two-thirds, says the report.

“As a nation, we spent $4.1 trillion on health in 2020, but only 5.4 percent of that spending targeted public health and prevention,”says TFAH. While the number doubled in the short-term during COVID-19, it’s “still grossly inadequate and likely to return to pre-pandemic levels.” 

This harms the vulnerable the most: low-income communities, communities of color, and older Americans—“populations that experience higher rates of chronic disease and have fewer resources to recover from an emergency,” says TFAH.

TFAH calls for more investment—in public health infrastructure and workforce, in emergency preparedness (including immunization infrastructure and the impact of climate change), and in addressing social determinants of health and health across the lifespan.

BIO’s take: BIO’s been calling for more funding for public health infrastructure and preparedness, especially for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The FY23 spending bill for HHS making its way through Capitol Hill would allocate more than $200 billion to improve public health infrastructure and preparedness.

Read More: The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America’s Public Health System: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations, 2022

More Health Care News:

Bio.News: Minority Mental Health Awareness Month: COVID-19 impact and new mental health resources
“In 2008, Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was established to actively address…disparities in access to mental health treatment.” 

Novavax: Novavax CEO Appointed to U.S.-India CEO Forum
The Forum “brings together top-level business executives to discuss ways to strengthen the economic and commercial ties between the two countries, and to communicate their joint recommendations to the U.S. and Indian governments.”

Reminiscing about #BIO2022? Check out the highlights.

President Biden’s Friday:Out of isolation after testing negative for COVID, President Biden spoke with China’s President Xi by phone this morning, where Xi warned against Speaker Nancy Pelosi visiting Taiwan.  

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Senate Democrats have now agreed on a slimmed-down version of Build Back Better, the climate and tax (and anti-science drug pricing) package, which the New York Times says would “affect every aspect of U.S. energy production, with incentives for producers and consumers to move away from fossil fuels.” The House begins the August recess on Monday.