As America prepares for a new Congress and administration, the nation stands at a crossroads of opportunity. President-elect Donald Trump’s commitment to revitalizing American industry comes at a critical juncture, offering a chance to rebuild our manufacturing base through bold and strategic innovation.

Biomanufacturing, a sector with immense economic and national security implications, must be at the center of this effort. But realizing its transformative value will require vocal, bipartisan support and a robust partnership between government and industry.

Biomanufacturing represents the cutting edge of modern American industry, using biological processes to create products ranging from aviation fuels and advanced materials to life-saving vaccines and biostimulants for farming. Many companies, large and small, are leveraging this technology with many more prospects on the horizon. The sector is currently valued at nearly $1 trillion and is poised to grow into a $30 trillion global powerhouse over the next two decades.

However, this potential is far from guaranteed. While successive administrations, including the Obama, Trump, and Biden presidencies, laid important groundwork by prioritizing biotechnology through executive action and initiatives, federal agencies remain constrained by inconsistent congressional support.

Congress has made incremental progress through legislation like the Science and CHIPS Act, but these steps are insufficient to secure America’s leadership in this space. Without immediate and unified bipartisan action, market forces may push biomanufacturing offshore, handing control of this strategic sector to competitors in Europe, South America, and Asia. 

The urgency cannot be overstated. We have seen this story before: the U.S. led the world in semiconductor innovation, only to see manufacturing dominance shift to Asia. Biomanufacturing risks meeting the same fate if we fail to prioritize domestic investment and policy alignment. The stakes are higher than ever, as global disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical instability have exposed vulnerabilities in our supply chains.

Biomanufacturing offers a clear path to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and strengthen national security. For rural coastal and farm communities, this sector holds great potential to stimulate economic growth by adding value to plentiful agricultural feedstocks like crops, grasses, seaweeds, and timber.

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To seize this opportunity, Congress and the administration must act decisively.

Lawmakers should prioritize funding, streamline regulations, and create consistent policies to ensure U.S. biomanufacturing thrives. Emerging partisan divisions, which tie biomanufacturing to climate goals rather than focusing on its economic and security benefits, must be set aside in favor of a shared vision for American competitiveness. States and regions are already moving forward with their own incentives, but a patchwork of policies without a cohesive national strategy risks inefficiency and lost potential.

President Biden deserves much credit for establishing the National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative, a comprehensive strategy run through the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), which seeks to accelerate biomanufacturing from our coastal communities to the nation’s heartland. The incoming administration should continue and accelerate this initiative. It is ready-made, actionable, and has the support of industry.

White House leadership will be critical, particularly given the debatable support for science by some nominees to lead key federal agencies.

Fortunately, President-elect Trump has nominated Michael Kratsios, an experienced and widely respected figure, to lead OSTP. His leadership, alongside Lynne Parker as executive director of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), will be critical in aligning federal agencies, streamlining bureaucracy, and accelerating innovation to market. Their stewardship offers hope for building the national coordination necessary to secure a competitive edge.

Biomanufacturing is not just an opportunity—it is a necessity. It is a chance to create good-paying jobs, reduce environmental impact, and ensure America leads in the industries of the future. But the clock is ticking, and the risks of inaction are clear. The U.S. must establish a cohesive, bipartisan plan to drive this sector forward, keeping American innovation and economic power firmly within our borders.

Dana M. O’Brien is the president and founder of BioHarbor Strategies and former executive vice president for food and agriculture at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, and legislative director for former Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo.