What Biden’s infrastructure plan means for agriculture

President Biden’s American Jobs Plan contains substantial backing for biotechnology’s role in agriculture, biobased manufacturing, environmental protection, rural economies, and sustainable fuels, according to a fact sheet released by the White House on Monday.

ICYMI: On March 31, President Biden released the American Jobs Plan, a $2.7 trillion infrastructure plan to be funded by the Made in America Tax Plan, which includes both an increase to the corporate tax rate as well as tax credits for blenders of sustainable aviation fuels.

Biorefinery projects would be in line for support under the proposal, through the provision of $15 billion to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for subsidized credit programs focused on manufacturing, including the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program and the Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program.

BIO led the effort to ensure renewable chemicals and biobased manufacturing would qualify under the Biorefinery Program in the last Farm Bill, which was passed in 2018. 

Drought defense measures include support for “drought resilience technology for agricultural producers”—technology we know can help us tackle hunger and address climate change. 

The plan to “build next-generation industries in distressed communities” highlights a “market-based shift towards clean energy” and support for development of specific projects. Several provisions include clean-energy support in rural areas. 

Regarding R&D for innovation: “As part of a historic investment in science, research, and development, the President’s plan invests in basic science research at USDA,” according to the fact sheet. “In addition, the proposal calls for an expansion of federal R&D funding to universities…and further support for the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to improve access to research funding.” 

The plan also calls for funding development of regional innovation hubs, which would “leverage private investment to fuel technology development and new regional business opportunities and foster urban-rural connections.” 

Learn how biotech can help us meet our climate and agriculture policy goals.

Dealing with this pandemic and preparing for the next one requires a host of changes—starting with a stronger, modernized Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one former head of the agency told a Senate committee yesterday.

We need a commission “along the lines of the 9/11 Commission” to review the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Dr. Julie Gerberding, who served as CDC director from 2002-2009, before a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing, “Preparedness for COVID-19: The Initial Pandemic Response and Lessons Learned.” Dr. Gerberding is now EVP and Chief Patient Officer at Merck (and a BIO Board member).

We need to develop testing rapidly and at a large scale. If we could "identify and isolate" cases sooner, we would have reduced death and gained time, Dr. Gerberding said. The solution is better collaboration in the development of diagnostic testing platforms among the CDC, FDA, public and private laboratories, and institutions. While the “CDC made its share of missteps” in this process, existing policies make collaboration difficult, she added.

A stronger, modernized CDC requires a consistent budget—instead of one that fluctuates each year—with the same type of funding we give to the NIH and a bigger research budget, she said.

Regarding vaccine hesitancy, Dr. Gerberding praised the current CDC director for giving clear, consistent information, but noted that most people trust their local doctor more than public officials. New Zealand did a great job of bringing clinicians into the work of spreading vital information, she said. 

And more research is needed, including into the pathogenesis by which COVID-19 causes a myriad of symptoms, the post-infectious phase, and basic epidemiology. But this research requires data, as well as AI to process our existing knowledge, she said.

Watch the full hearing.

What else can we do to prepare for the next pandemic?Bolster the bioeconomy, said BIO’s Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath in Roll Call.

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MSNBC: Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath on Morning Joe
The pause on Johnson & Johnson “is evidence that the system we have in place is doing exactly what it was designed to do.”

President Biden’s Thursday: The president and vice president will meet with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Executive Committee to discuss violent attacks on members of the Asian American Pacific Islander community, according to Axios. Meanwhile, the White House has expanded its list of potential FDA commissioners, reports The Wall Street Journal.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: The Senate Finance Committee will hold nomination hearings for two key Health and Human Services (HHS) positions: Andrea Joan Palm, the nominee for deputy secretary of the department—who will do most of the ”behind-the-scenes work of writing and implementing” Biden’s health agenda, according to POLITICO—and Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, who would be the first Black woman to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS).

Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra will testify in front of the House Appropriations Committee, and several public health officials will testify on vaccination progress. Other hearings today will look at energy innovation, environmental justice, climate action, and how the media communicates vaccine information.

Also worth noting, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Ways & Means Committee, announced that he will not run for reelection in 2022.