ABAC Applauds Growing Congressional Momentum on Anthrax Preparedness
H.R. 2707 Gains Additional Bipartisan Support
Arlington, VA - The American Biodefense Action Coalition (ABAC), a coalition of Americans concerned about the threat of biological warfare, today applauded growing Congressional momentum behind H.R. 2707, the Protecting American Families & Servicemembers From Anthrax Act.
H.R. 2707 recently received four additional bipartisan cosponsors, all who sit on either the House Armed Services Committee or the prior Congress’ COVID Select Committee (the COVID-Select Committee has since disbanded). The growing list of bipartisan bill sponsors and cosponsors includes:
Rep. Don Davis, D-NC
Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-VA
Rep. Jack Bergman, R-MI
Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-NC
Rep. Deborah Ross, D-NC
Rep. Brad Finstad, R-MN
H.R. 2707 is bipartisan legislation that requires the Strategic National Stockpile and the Department of Defense to modernize their Anthrax preparedness strategy and ensure they meet countermeasure requirements for the threat of Anthrax to protect the nation.
In addition to the strong wave of cosponsors, the Congressional For Country caucus recently endorsed comparable language to H.R. 2707, for inclusion in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act. The For Country Caucus is a bipartisan caucus of 37 military veterans serving in Congress, remarking in its endorsement of the language that the comparable Anthrax-defense NDAA request is among requests that are:
“aimed at enhancing U.S. military readiness, strengthening defense technology, and securing the nation’s defense infrastructure. These requests reflect the Caucus' unwavering commitment to ensuring the U.S. Armed Forces remain the most capable and technologically advanced in the world.”
America’s adversaries, including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and terror groups all maintain offensive Anthrax programs, which poses a Material Threat Determination as designated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This risk was also noted in the recent Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s March 2025 Annual Threat Assessment, remarking on increasing risk of biological and chemical weapons that may include a “clandestine attack” against the United States.
Despite this grave risk, there are significant concerns that Anthrax countermeasures are scheduled to be reduced or eliminated altogether in the Strategic National Stockpile, as indicated in the most recently released 2024 PHEMCE Multi Year Budget.
Should this cut remain in the new Administration, as it was originally planned under the prior Administration, the nation’s industrial base for Anthrax medical countermeasures would likely go out-of-business. This would leave the countermeasure capability permanently lost, rendering the nation highly vulnerable to an Anthrax attack. Stockpile inventories are already significantly below existing requirements, even prior to this planned reduction, and any additional reduction would further cripple preparedness for this Category-A threat.
The American Biodefense Action Coalition applauds the recent bipartisan Congressional momentum in support of this lifesaving preparedness legislation, and looks forward to continuing to educate and engage the public on biological threat risks.
Learn more about this legislation and the Coalition at AmericanBiodefense.org.
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The American Biodefense Action Coalition is a tax-exempt 501(c)4 organization dedicated to preparedness for biological threats. Given the risk of biological warfare to the United States, the coalition educates the public on the risk of biological threats and steps needed to deter and prepare for these threats.
Learn more about the Coalition at AmericanBiodefense.org.