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H.R.1405 / 119th Congress

Enhancing Domestic Drug Manufacturing Competitiveness Act

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 18, 2025

Enhancing Domestic Drug Manufacturing Competitiveness Act

This bill requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study and report to Congress on key regulatory barriers to pharmaceutical manufacturing in the United States. 

Specifically, GAO must identify and assess, including by engaging stakeholders, barriers that impede expansion or siting of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the United States or make the United States less competitive than other countries as a location for such facilities. GAO must consider (1) whether environmental or other regulations significantly delay and increase the cost of expanding or siting pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the United States; (2) the potential impact of environmental and other regulations on pharmaceutical supply chain resiliency; and (3) specific actions for regulators to address the identified barriers. 

Finally, the report must include recommendations for streamlining regulatory barriers and facilitating technological solutions to foster U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing. 

Read the summary on Congress.gov

Who introduced it

Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] · R–FL

Committees

  • Energy and Commerce Committee
1 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

  1. Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Jul 30, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze H.R.1405 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

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Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

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Conservative lens

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Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

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Read the proposal in plain language

AI-generated · Source-checked by AI · Oct 31, 2026

Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-18 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.

What it would do

This bill would require the Comptroller General to study regulatory obstacles to building or expanding drug manufacturing facilities in the United States. The study would examine time, costs and competitiveness, with input from stakeholders. Congress would receive findings and recommendations within one year after enactment; the bill proposes a study rather than changes to regulatory requirements.

Check the sources
The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study to identify, and to assess on a time and cost basis, the key regulatory barriers that— (1) impede the expansion or siting of new pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the United States; or (2) make the United States less competitive than other countries as a location for such facilities.
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-18
In conducting the study under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall engage stakeholders
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-18
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall complete the study under subsection (a) and submit to the Congress a report on the results of such study.
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-18
(C) include recommendations for streamlining the regulatory barriers described in subsection (a), and facilitating the use of technological solutions described in subsection (c)(2), to foster increased pharmaceutical manufacturing in the United States.
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-18

How it would work

The study would examine whether environmental or other regulations significantly delay facility development and increase manufacturers’ costs compared with other countries. It would also examine potential effects on the pharmaceutical supply chain’s ability to withstand disruptions. These are questions for the study, not established findings.

Check the source
(1) Do environmental or other regulations significantly delay, and increase the costs for manufacturers of, expanding or siting pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the United States relative to environmental or other regulations in other countries? (2) What is the potential impact of environmental and other regulations on pharmaceutical supply chain resiliency?
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-18

The study would consider actions regulators could take to address barriers, including faster reviews, inspections and approvals for new facilities or changes to existing ones. This directs the study to consider those actions; it does not require regulators to adopt them.

Check the sources
In conducting the study under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall consider the following questions:
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-18
(3) What specific actions (such as expediting reviews, inspections, and approvals of new facilities or changes to existing facilities) could be taken by regulators to address the regulatory barriers described in subsection (a)?
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-18

The Comptroller General would have to engage stakeholders to assess regulatory barriers, identify promising technologies or manufacturing processes that could address them, and identify policies needed to support those solutions.

Check the source
In conducting the study under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall engage stakeholders— (1) to identify and assess the barriers described in subsection (a); (2) to identify whether there are promising technological solutions, including manufacturing processes, that could help to address the regulatory barriers described in subsection (a); and (3) to identify the policies needed to support and foster any solutions identified pursuant to paragraph (2).
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-18

The study and report to Congress would be due within one year after enactment. The report would have to assess barriers in terms of time and cost, answer every required study question, and recommend ways to streamline barriers and facilitate technological solutions. Increasing domestic drug manufacturing is the stated aim of those recommendations, not a guaranteed result.

Check the sources
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall complete the study under subsection (a) and submit to the Congress a report on the results of such study.
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-18
The report required by paragraph (1) shall— (A) identify, and assess on a time and cost basis, the regulatory barriers described in subsection (a); (B) address each question listed in subsection (b); and (C) include recommendations for streamlining the regulatory barriers described in subsection (a), and facilitating the use of technological solutions described in subsection (c)(2), to foster increased pharmaceutical manufacturing in the United States.
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-18

What the record shows

The supplied actions snapshot, updated July 30, 2025, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on February 18, 2025.

Check the source
Source snapshot updated 2025-07-30T21:27:37Z. 2025-02-18: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2025-02-18: Introduced in House
Official legislative record · 2025-07-30T21:27:37Z

Riders & Targeted Benefits

Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-18. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.

This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.

Riders

Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.

None identified in the reviewed text

No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.

Earmarks

Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.

None identified in the reviewed text

No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials; formal earmark status in accompanying materials cannot be assessed from this bundle.

Other targeted benefits

Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.

None identified in the reviewed text

No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption or preferential treatment was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.

What this analysis cannot establish

  • The bundle supplies the introduced full text and an actions snapshot updated July 30, 2025. It does not establish whether the bill later advanced, changed or became law. The provisions are therefore described as proposals.
  • No enactment date is supplied, so the one-year reporting deadline cannot be converted into a calendar date.
  • The text does not identify particular regulations or stakeholders, establish the extent of regulatory barriers, or supply study results. It specifies no funding amount, enforcement mechanism or sunset provision.
  • No member requests, earmark disclosures, committee reports, conference materials or amendment attachment history are supplied.

Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jul 30, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI