OP-ED by Rodd Moesel- Biotechnology is no longer distant science fiction; it’s already a growing force in both national security and local economies. It affects everything from how much you pay at the pharmacy to whether the U.S. can outcompete China in the critical technologies that will shape our future. Biotech means using biology to solve real-world
problems, and with the right leadership, it could be one of the biggest drivers of American strength and economic growth in the decades ahead.
That promise starts with what biotech actually does: using biology to make useful things across industries. And
it’s not just happening in coastal tech hubs. It’s already taking root in places like Oklahoma, where innovation is
already helping power the local economy and train the next generation of workers.
At its core, biotechnology is about engineering living systems to produce synthetic insulin, crops that can
survive droughts, or new materials that replace plastics or metal parts. It’s how we grow food, manufacture
goods, secure our military edge, and prepare for the next public health crisis. It’s the reason insulin prices
could drop, why a next-generation fertilizer could end world hunger, or how our military might one day treat
battlefield injuries more effectively. Biotech is a foundation for future jobs, too, and not just on the coasts, but
right here.
So when Congress gets serious about biotechnology, that’s not just good news for scientists. It’s good news
for families, workers, and communities that want to build something lasting. For the first time in years,
lawmakers from both parties are treating biotechnology the way they treated semiconductors a few years ago,
with urgency and real investment. They’ve created a bipartisan commission to chart a national biotech
strategy, shared policy recommendations, and introduced legislation to actually do something about them.
Oklahoma is helping lead that charge. One of the key members of that commission is Rep. Stephanie Bice,
who’s taken this kind of work seriously. She’s helped launch a bipartisan biotech caucus in Congress, backed
bills to streamline how biotech products get approved, and hosted fellow lawmakers in Oklahoma City to see
local biotech workforce training up close.
A lot of people assume biotech only happens in Boston or Silicon Valley. But it’s growing in places like
Oklahoma too, where students at centers like BioTC are training to step into jobs that didn’t even exist a
decade ago. These are good jobs that can anchor people in communities here and help secure America’s
position in a rapidly evolving global security landscape.
And we’re already seeing that momentum take shape on the ground. In Norman, a new bioprocessing facility
at the University of Oklahoma is helping turn lab research into the real-world products we’ll need to keep
supply chains strong and jobs growing right here at home. In Oklahoma City, upgraded lab space is already
being used to support biomanufacturing, so more of the critical medicines and materials we depend on can be
made in America, not shipped from overseas.
China has spent the last twenty years making biotech a national priority, not just to grow their economy, but to
project power, shape global norms, and dominate the supply chains the U.S. still depends on. If we want to
maintain our edge, we can’t treat biotechnology like an afterthought. We need coordinated policy, smart
guidelines for this emerging industry, and long-term investment to make it sustainable.
The good news is, we’re seeing movement. Congress has introduced bills to create a national biotech
coordination office, to modernize outdated rules, and to build the secure, domestic manufacturing infrastructure
we need to produce critical technologies here at home. These are the kinds of policies that don’t dominate the
news cycle, but quietly shape the future.
That’s the kind of leadership we need more of in Washington. Not performative, or partisan, but focused on
getting things done that will help families, strengthen communities, and secure America’s place in the world.
Biotech isn’t some abstract frontier. It’s a kitchen-table issue, and a matter of national strength. And for once, it
looks like Congress is starting to treat it that way.
