Political Quotes

“My amendment would increase the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority account by $1 million to support increased R&D for biosecurity. As the only Ph.D. physicist in Congress, I feel a special responsibility to speak out on issues of national security, especially when they concern emerging technological threats that Congress may not be sufficiently aware of. For more than 70 years, nuclear weapons have held center stage among the threats to our national security and global safety because of their capabilities to threaten the existence of all mankind. However, the dangers posed by advanced biological threats are catching up fast. For example, the ability of genome editing tools, such as CRISPR/ Cas9, to delete, suppress, and amplify specific genes has been a long sought-after capability for treating monogenic disorders and other disorders. However, this ability could also be abused for nefarious purposes, such as disrupting the normal function of particular biological systems or weaponizing synthetic versions of a virus. This is a global issue that will require global solutions. Unfortunately, the advances in this field are outpacing our ability to develop policies that will set international ethical and regulatory frameworks. Diagnostic platforms that can rapidly detect and characterize bioagents will become increasingly critical to safeguarding human health.…”