New bill to protect genomic information of US citizens from China

Washington: – Two bills have been presented in the US Congress to ensure that the genetic information of the US citizens does not fall into Chinese hands. Republican Senator Marco Rubio has introduced these bills and has claimed that the issue is critical from the perspective of national security. A few days ago, a report had been published that there could be a possibility of biological war behind the Coronavirus pandemic originating from China. Against this background, these bills become noteworthy.

The United States is the worst affected by the Coronavirus pandemic that started in China last year. To date, 30.31 million Coronavirus cases and 590,000 deaths have been reported from the United States. Information is surfacing that the economy also has suffered losses worth billions of dollars. Therefore, there is a strong feeling of resentment in the United States against China. Thus, a demand that a detailed inquiry should be held regarding the origin of the Coronavirus pandemic and the Chinese connection to it is gaining ground.

At the same time, claims are also surfacing that the Coronavirus pandemic is a part of the Chinese biological war where the Coronavirus is being used as a bioweapon. It has also been exposed that various other viruses are being developed in the Wuhan laboratory, which is responsible for the Coronavirus pandemic. It has also been revealed that this laboratory in Wuhan has collaborated with the health agencies in the United States and Canada in the past. Against this background, the bills presented by Senator Marco Rubio are very important.

Senator Marco Rubio justified the bills saying, ‘There is no need to give the US taxpayers’ money to China for research. At the same time, the policies that would make the genetic information of US citizens available to China are also not necessary. This is a severe national security issue. At the same time, it also is an issue of privacy rights. Therefore, the US Congress should take necessary steps in this matter.’ Senator Rubio has said in his statement that China is acquiring health information regarding US citizens through legitimate and illegitimate routes, which is a security threat.

The Genomics Expenditures and National Security Enhancement (GENE) Act and The Genomics Data Security Act are the two bills presented by Senator Rubio in the US Congress. Out of these, the GENE Act demands that the US Congress and senior agencies regarding the genetic information of the US citizens. This act makes it mandatory to discuss with the Health Department if any US company intends to enter into any agreement regarding the genetic information. At the same time, the Genomics Data Security Act has a clause that the National Institute of Health should not fund any agency linked to the Chinese communist regime. At the same time, it also has the provision for an amendment to the Genomic Data Sharing Policy and prioritising the national security issue in matters related to Genetic information.