Congressional lawmakers are considering banning Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) firm that has been accused of stealing Americans’ DNA.
The firm, which has operated in the United States since 2010, is listed by the Pentagon as a “Chinese military company.”
A 2021 report from the National Counterintelligence and Security Center stated, “Over the past decade, China’s BGI has partnered with many research and healthcare entities in America to provide them with genomic sequencing services, while also gaining access to health records and genetic data on people in the U.S,” raising concerns that BGI was connected to efforts seeking to obtain human DNA.
To challenge BGI, Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI) introduced an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would prevent contracts with certain biotechnology providers.
The amendment explicitly lists the BGI Group as a “biotechnology company of concern.”
“Beijing Genomics Institute collects genetic data on people all over the world, to include that of pregnant women, and uses it for research with the Chinese military,” Gallagher told Fox News Digital, explaining the amendment. “The CCP will undoubtedly use the genetic data collected by BGI to further its malign aggression, potentially even to develop a bioweapon used to target the American people.”
Gallagher said that he is working together with Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty (R) to “prohibit the U.S. government and those that contract with the U.S. government from acquiring genetic sequencing equipment from BGI and its subsidiaries in this year’s National Defense Authorization Amendment.”
“I’m working w/@RepGallagher to enact legislation to keep Americans’ DNA out of the hands of the Chinese Communist Party & its ‘national champion’ biotech firms,” Hagerty said in a tweet. “I urge my Senate colleagues to join me in ensuring the FY 2024 NDAA enacts this important legislation.”
