January 1, Trump Pushes for Drug Factories Back Home

Wyatt’s Take

• America depends too much on China and India for medicine ingredients.
• The Trump administration wants to bring drug manufacturing back to the U.S.
• New tax breaks and technology could help rebuild America’s supply chain.

President Trump signed an order to refill the nation’s stockpile of medicine ingredients. The move aims to make sure Americans aren’t left waiting if foreign supply lines get cut off.

Right now, most basic medicine parts come from overseas, mainly China and India. According to John Knox at Health and Human Services, around 70% of these drug ingredients are made there, and 90% of antibiotics come from China.

“We here in the United States have a completely different labor force than what they do in China and India,” Knox said. “We don’t have slave labor here and competing at those levels with huge bulk factories…we don’t have the capacity or the ability to do that.”

Knox added that new technology and teamwork between private companies and the government could help. 3D printing pills and finding faster ways to make drug ingredients are two options they’re exploring.

The White House stated, “Restoring capacity for domestic production of essential pharmaceutical products is essential to safeguarding national health and security against global supply chain disruptions.”

Recent laws are also offering tax breaks to businesses willing to make these medicine ingredients right here in America. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks pointed out the need to look closely at government oversight to keep drug prices fair for regular folks.

“We have to make sure that the FTC does its job, and when there’s too much vertical integration, it ends competition,” she said. “That’s where the FTC needs to step in. When you have consolidation in a marketplace, you don’t have competition that helps bring down costs.”

Miller-Meeks also said it’s time to shine a light on parts of the drug supply chain that stay hidden and drive up prices, like some middlemen. Lowering prices and supporting U.S. businesses go hand in hand.

It’s clear: building up America’s drug industry again means safer, steadier access for families here at home.

Wyatt Matters

When Americans depend on other countries for medicine, it puts our health and families at risk. Bringing production home keeps us safe and helps local workers provide for their loved ones.

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