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U.S. Response: House Votes For Project Bioshield The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation yesterday to enact the Project Bioshield Act of 2003, a federal program to develop medicines that would defend the nation from a bioterrorist attack (see GSN, July 1). “The wolves of terrorism are still on the lurk,” said House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Texas). The House voted 421-2 to establish Project Bioshield, which would provide $5.6 billion over the next decade to push research into normally unprofitable drugs. The plan would guarantee pharmaceutical companies a buyer for drugs that can be used to counter terrorism. Supporters of the plan said it will prove worthwhile if there is an attack with dangerous biological agents. “Essentially, the product has no value if you don’t need it, but infinite value if you do,” said Gillian Woollett, an official with BIO, the biotechnology trade organization (Sheryl Stolberg, New York Times, July 17). Yesterday’s legislation established the framework for the plan, but the House Appropriations Committee must still address the issue. Because bipartisan support for the legislation is so overwhelming, the committee is expected to approve the full $5.6 billion over the next ten years, according to an spokeswoman for Representative Billy Tauzin (R-La.), the sponsor of yesterday’s bill and the chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The money will be appropriated all at once, but officials will be forced to spend it over the full decade, according to the spokeswoman. Officials will be able to spend $3.4 billion over the next five years (David McGlinchey, Global Security Newswire, July 17). Two Republican representatives, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Ron Paul of Texas, voted against the bill, while U.S. President George W. Bush applauded the move. “This legislation will help spur the development and availability of next-generation countermeasures against biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological weapons,” Bush said. Meanwhile, the plan has stalled in the Senate while lawmakers argue over whether to allocate funding for the program in one lump sum or annually. “I urge the Senate to act on this very important legislation,” Bush said (Vicki Kemper, Los Angeles Times, July 17).
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