Medical Supply Chain Resiliency Act

This bill aims to make the U.S. medical supply chain stronger and more reliable, especially during emergencies like pandemics. It lets the President make “trusted trade partner” agreements with countries to lower or remove import taxes and other barriers on medical goods—like medical devices, medicines, and their parts—when doing so would help U.S. public health and national security. These agreements can also align rules across countries, speed up cross‑border shipping, protect intellectual property, and encourage more suppliers so hospitals and patients can get what they need on time. The bill responds to problems seen during COVID‑19, when demand spiked and supplies ran short, and the U.S. relied on a small number of countries for key items.

There are guardrails. Before talks start, the President must give Congress 60 days’ notice, consult during negotiations, and send a report 60 days before signing any agreement. Congress then gets time to review it and can block it with a joint resolution if it doesn’t meet the bill’s goals. The U.S. Trade Representative must monitor partners after an agreement takes effect; if a partner doesn’t follow the rules, the President can pause parts of the deal or seek fixes.

Key points

• Who is affected: Patients, hospitals, and U.S. makers and buyers of medical goods; countries that sign trusted‑partner agreements.
• What changes: Possible lower import taxes and fewer trade barriers for medical goods; more diverse suppliers; faster, more consistent rules across borders; stronger monitoring and enforcement.
• When: Notice to Congress 60 days before talks; a report 60 days before signing; Congress gets a 30‑day review (with possible extensions); updates to Congress on negotiation status every 180 days.